


you were romeo, i was the scarlet letter

by dettiot



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: (probably) no Thrawn, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, just shippiness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22552756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dettiot/pseuds/dettiot
Summary: At seventeen, Luke Skywalker is spoiled, a bit lazy, and very aware of being the son of a Senator and the Hero of the Republic. But he's also able to work hard and is getting ready to start the last stage of his training before the Jedi Trials.But after a hyperdrive accident leaves him stranded in empty space with no way to call for help, he will be picked up by a group of smugglers. And he'll have to figure out why the adopted daughter of his captor seems to hate his guts.A canon divergent AU of Heir to the Empire.
Relationships: Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 41
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Star Wars fic--something I never thought I'd write, but here we are! I hope you enjoy this take on Luke and Mara, as well as other Star Wars characters. 
> 
> Many thanks to wonderlandleighleigh for reading this over and being so in favor of Anakin and Padme getting to be happy together.

The round red sphere hovered in the air. It didn’t move in the soft breeze winding its way past the Jedi Temple and through its gardens. The Jedi complex was a rare island of peace within the constant hustle and bustle of Coruscant. 

But that peace was about to be disturbed. 

The red sphere moved slowly, gaining height until it was four and a half meters from the ground. In its new position, it hovered again, until the Force grip around it was released, sending the heavy, water-filled balloon towards its target. 

Only to be stopped a few inches from the bald head of Jedi Master Mace Windu, before moving as fast as a proton torpedo across the garden, taking up position over a seventeen-year-old boy. 

“Awww, Master Ahsoka!” the boy cried out. 

Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight, eyed her Padawan with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little old for water balloons, Luke?” she asked, keeping the red balloon in place over his head. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they’re not fun.” 

“I should let this drop,” she said, feeling the familiar mixture of worry and grudging amusement at Luke Skywalker’s antics. “From a lot higher than you were going to let it go over Master Windu.” 

Luke brushed sun-streaked blonde hair out of his face--the current style among Padawans was letting your hair grow until you nearly needed the Force to see--and met Ahsoka’s eyes. “And it would be a fair punishment.” 

With a sigh, Ahsoka moved the balloon away and twisted it in her Force grip, releasing its load to water a tchuspera bush. Rescuing Jedi Masters from water balloons and preventing her Padawan from making a great mistake were fairly normal occurrences for Ahsoka lately. And it was reaching a point where she couldn’t keep brushing aside Luke’s shenanigans. 

“Walk with me, Luke,” she asked him, gesturing towards the garden path. 

Because he was actually a good boy, Luke fell into step beside her and held his tongue. That was the utterly frustrating thing about Luke Skywalker: he actually had a good heart. And his strength in the Force was nearly equal to his father’s. 

When Ahsoka had become Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, she had been young and brash and eager. And Anakin had been equally brash, but very much not eager to have a Padawan. It had taken some time, but soon they had become Snips and Skyguy, partners in whatever the Clone Wars and the near-destruction of the Republic threw at them. 

Anakin had been the only one to believe in her. It was thanks to him that she was a Jedi Knight, that she was here right now. So it was hard to look at his beloved son and feel disappointed. And definitely hard to consider she was failing her Padawan when Anakin hadn’t failed her. 

Luke scuffed his feet against the gravel in the path, his boots dusty and caked with mud. Ahsoka ran her eyes over him, trying to look at this boy she had known from infancy and find a way to reach him. 

He was dressed no differently from other Padawans, in a cream tunic, brown pants and boots, and a matching robe over it. His skin was lightly tanned, a year-round coloring he had inherited from his father. Anakin told her he used to look just like Luke, with the blonde hair and blue eyes and tan skin, but his hair had darkened with age and his eyes had gained wisdom. 

“Are you mad at me?”

Ahsoka looked into Luke’s guileless blue eyes and smiled a little. “Not mad.” 

“Please don’t say you’re disappointed. That’s worse,” Luke muttered, his shoulders slumping. 

“Well, I am, a bit,” she told him. “But I’m more confused than anything else.” 

“Confused?” Luke asked, looking at her. 

She nodded. “Yes. Because in the past few months, I’ve seen more of this kind of behavior from you. Silly jokes, pranks, not paying attention to your surroundings . . . and I’m worried that eventually, the jokes aren’t going to be so silly. That someone’s feelings will be hurt--or worse.” 

“I wouldn’t do that, Master Ahsoka,” Luke said, a mixture of protest and annoyance in his voice. “I respect the Force, I respect all living creatures--” 

“But you don’t respect yourself, your talent, your potential,” Ahsoka interrupted. “Or else you wouldn’t be screwing around like this.” 

Luke’s shoulders slumped again and his face settled into a mulish expression. And she knew she had lost him again. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to finish her point. 

“I remember how I felt at your age,” she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “So powerful, so smart. But part of becoming an adult, part of becoming a Jedi Knight, is realizing how much you still have to learn. I hope you’ll think about that during a meditation session. And you can always talk to me about anything that’s bothering you.” 

“Yes, Master Ahsoka,” he said. “I’ll think about it.” 

“Hey, Skywalker!” another voice called out from the entrance of the Temple. 

He gave her a smile. “I’ll talk to you later,” he said before dashing over to meet up with his friends. 

Ahsoka smiled at his back, watching Luke join the crowd of Padawans. They all gathered around him, listening to what he had to say, watching him effortlessly lead them. 

Someday, he would be a great Jedi, Ahsoka believed. There were plenty of people who saw what Luke Skywalker could be. And all of those people would help him realize his amazing future.

Just as long as he didn’t drop a water balloon on Master Yoda. 

XXX

With a grimace, Luke extracted his hand from the engine of his X-Wing and rubbed at the small burn on his finger. 

“Artoo, could you come over here and hold this wire back?” he asked his family’s astromech droid. The little droid rolled over and extended his grappling arm, grasping the sparking wire in his pinchers and moving it aside. 

“Thanks,” he said, reaching back in to get at the component he was replacing.

As he worked, his mind drifted back to his conversation with Master Ahsoka. It was embarrassing to have his master catch him in the act. After all, it didn’t exactly make him seem like an impressive almost-Jedi, if his master could stop him so easily. 

And maybe that was what Master Ahsoka was trying to say. That he needed to work harder, now that he was getting older? 

Luke blew out a breath in frustration. He didn’t think he _could_ work much harder. After four years of study with Master Ahsoka, building on his lessons as a youngling and all the exercises his father and Master Obi-Wan had given him over the years . . . he sometimes felt he had been training his entire life. 

But it was like no matter how much he trained, how hard he worked, he was still as far away from the end as ever. 

It just wasn’t fair. Leia was already rising in the ranks of the Coruscant government, serving as a representative to the planetary council. She wasn’t stuck listening to a bunch of Jedi telling her what to do. Their mother was already talking about whether Leia was ready to run for election to the Galactic Senate. 

If Leia could do what she wanted and not become a Jedi, why couldn’t he, too? Why couldn’t he drop out of Jedi training and become a pilot?

Blowing out another breath, Luke made a face at both the carbon scoring on his X-Wing’s engine and his own whiny thoughts. 

He was really lucky. He lived in the middle of the galaxy, with parents that loved him and honestly, the best sister a guy could have. He had great friends and a bunch of Jedi who were always looking out for him. And even though being a Jedi was so much harder than Luke ever thought it would be, he knew it was the right path for him. 

But flying was a lot more fun. If only he could--

The damaged part, stuck in its socket by the carbon scoring and dried-on lubricating fluids, finally came loose, banging his hand against the open engine cowling. He let out a loud “ouch!” as his right wrist banged hard against the edge and dropped the part to the hangar floor with a clang. 

Shaking out his hand, Luke glared at the engine and sighed. He could have let the mechanics handle this job, but if there was one thing Anakin Skywalker had drilled into his flying-mad son, it was that a pilot did his own repairs whenever he was able. 

And who wouldn’t listen to the Hero of the Republic, the great General Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Who Brought Balance to the Force? 

Whenever Luke heard that last phrase, he could hear the capital letters. The ones that showed how remarkable all his father’s achievements were. 

A few chirps and beeps from Artoo brought Luke out of his thoughts, but not in time to catch what the droid had said. Flicking his hair back and out of his eyes, he looked down. “What was that, Artoo?” 

The droid repeated his question, and Luke easily translated the Binary to Basic. “Yeah, keep holding the wire, thanks. Wait, on second thought--can you pull it loose and get me a replacement wire? I’ll do that after I finish with this.” He gestured to the damaged part still resting on the hanger floor.

Whistling, Artoo removed the sparking wire and then rolled away to one of the supply rooms.

At least now he wouldn’t be getting shocked and burned, Luke told himself as he moved the damaged part out of the way and picked up the replacement. He worked it into its socket, feeling his spirits rise. 

These strange rebellious feelings, the desire to play the pranks that worried and confused Master Ahsoka . . . Luke was confused by them, too. Maybe he should meditate on them, try to get to the root of it all. But the feelings never seemed to last long and the urge to drop water balloons or hide Leia’s datapad passed quickly. 

They weren’t the big kind of problems that meditation really required, he thought. Besides, as soon as his X-Wing was repaired, he would be joining a group of Masters and Padawans on a mission to Ord Mantell. 

It wasn’t the first time he had been involved in Jedi missions, of course. He had gone with Master Ahsoka, and even his father and Master Obi-Wan, on some short-term assignments away from the Temple and Coruscant. But this mission was different. It was going to last for three weeks, and he knew only the most talented Padawan Learners, the ones approaching the final stage of their training before the Trials, had been selected. And if Master Ahsoka was really worried about him, there was no way she would let him participate in this mission or move on to the next stage. 

Master Ahsoka was great, but she was just worrying over nothing.

XXX

Luke had just stepped through the door of his family’s apartment when he heard his mother’s voice. 

“Oh, Luke, please hurry to wash up before dinner. The Antilles family are joining us.” 

Padme Amidala, Senator from Naboo and former queen, always looked immaculate. Luke could never remember his mother looking anything other than perfect, and in his eyes, she would always be perfect. 

“Sorry, Mom,” he said, dropping a kiss on her cheek and keeping his grease-smeared hands away from her flowing white gown. “I was working on my X-Wing.” At the same time he was greeting his mother, Artoo rolled in and headed over towards his mother’s office, probably to see Threepio. 

She pursed her lips in an expression of distaste. “I don’t understand why the Jedi are using starfighters now. What’s wrong with the Delta-7?” 

“The Delta-7?” Luke asked, aghast. “They’re Clone War antiques! They don’t even have an integrated hyperdrive!”

“There is peace in the galaxy,” his mother said. “There’s no need for Jedi to be flying around in such an intimidating and aggressive ship as an X-Wing.” 

He didn’t need to hear the door open or see her to know that Leia had entered their apartment in time to hear his mother’s words. His sense of her in the Force told him she had picked up on the opening their mother had presented for Leia to practice her debating skills. 

His sister, dressed in a white gown with her hair coiled in a coronet braid, looked up from the three datapads she was juggling as she came to stand beside Luke. “What about Senator Fey’lya’s constant quoting of that old proverb? ‘Speak softly but carry an ion cannon’?”

Padme let out a soft little sniff. “Bothans have a very different perspective on war and peace from my own.” 

“Stop baiting your mother, children,” their father’s voice floated from the kitchen. “And that goes double for you, Leia.” 

Luke grinned a little and headed to the fresher he shared with Leia to get cleaned up, hearing Leia argue with their father that she was merely trying to expose their mother’s flawed thinking. 

As much as Leia liked to debate with their mother, Leia’s fights with their dad were epic arguments that were always fun to watch. But he was going to have to miss out on this one if he was going to get ready for another boring dinner party. Although at least the Antilles were interesting for politicians. 

He thought he just needed to wash his face and hands, but one look in the mirror told Luke he needed more than that. The sonic shower would be quicker, so Luke quickly shed his clothes and let the sound waves vibrate off the engine grease and sweat. He headed into his room and pulled on a pair of black pants and a matching tunic. Then he went into the kitchen. 

Leia flounced past him. “He’s impossible!” she cried out dramatically, gesturing back towards their father. 

Anakin Skywalker chuckled as he pulled a plate of roasted tubers out of the cooker, using his metal hand without a care for the hot pan. 

“Speaking of baiting . . .” Luke said, grinning at his father. 

“Leia gets more like your mother all the time,” he said to Luke. “She’s so much fun to bait.”

“It’s weird to compare Leia to Mom,” Luke replied, wrinkling his nose. 

Chuckling, Anakin started slicing the grilled nuna. “How was your day?” 

Luke shrugged and stole a roasted vegetable from another pan. “Fine.” 

“Fine?” his father asked with a skeptical eyebrow. The scar that bisected the eyebrow make the expression extra quizzical. 

“I spent some time at the Temple and then worked on my X-Wing,” Luke said, expanding on his initial answer. “I talked to Master Ahsoka.” 

“Mmmm,” his father said, carefully wielding the sonic knife to make precise cuts through the nuna. 

It was all Luke could do to not groan. “She talked to you, too.” 

“‘Course my old Padawan talks to me,” Anakin said, shooting Luke a grin.

“Dad . . .” 

The mix of frustration and annoyance with a hint of anger was audible to Luke--which meant his father definitely heard it, too. He lowered the knife and leaned against the cabinets, looking at Luke.

“Ahsoka is worried about you. So are your mother and I,” his father said. Luke felt his shoulders rounding as his father spoke. 

“As much as I love the idea of dropping a water balloon on Master Windu, as if our lives were holocomedies, it’s not appropriate in real life, Luke,” Anakin continued, speaking firmly. “It’s disrespectful, not to mention stupid. You have great instincts--just stop and think a bit more, okay?” 

He nodded and felt his father rest his hand on his shoulder, just like Ahsoka had done earlier. “We only want what’s best for you, Luke,” he heard his father say.

“I know,” Luke said, scuffing his boot against the tiled floor. 

His father lightly kissed the top of his head, then ruffled his hair. “Please get a haircut, before you become the first Padawan to lose a lightsaber spar due to your hair being in your eyes?” 

“Like I need to see to win a lightsaber spar,” Luke said, not bragging--well, not much. His lightsaber skills were the best of all the Padawans. Which wasn’t conceited, since Master Windu had said so himself. 

Anakin laughed softly and went back to preparing dinner. Luke leaned against the refrigeration unit, watching his father for a moment. 

With how small the kitchen was, his father didn’t need the cane he always used. The one he had to start using ten years ago, as he recovered from the final battle between the Jedi Order and former Chancellor Palpatine. 

Palpatine had wanted to take over the galaxy--and his plans all centered on turning Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. But in the only miscalculation Palpatine had made, he had approached Anakin after the birth of his twins. 

“I was exhausted, your mother was exhausted, but the two of you were perfect and your mother was alive. All my fears had vanished,” his father would say. “So Palpatine’s manipulation had no power over me.” 

But Anakin’s refusal hadn’t been warmly received. In the subsequent attack, he had suffered a seizure and a heart attack from the Force lightning Palpatine had fired at him. 

His father had recovered enough to defend the Jedi Temple during the final battle. And together with Master Obi-Wan, Anakin Skywalker had defeated Palpatine and killed him. 

That was Luke’s father to the galaxy. But to him, Anakin was just . . . Dad. The man who did all the cooking, the one who gave him his earliest lessons in the Force, the one who teased Leia and treated their mother like a queen. 

Luke couldn’t imagine his life if Palpatine had better timing. He didn’t want to imagine that life. As his mother said, the galaxy was at peace, the Jedi Order slowly accepting the relaxing of the Code that Anakin had advocated. And all Luke Skywalker wanted to do was to live up to his father’s example. 

End, Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

The summons from Karrde had come right before the evening meal, which made Mara’s stomach tighten with something other than hunger. Even after two years as part of his group of smugglers, Mara rarely knew what to expect from her boss. 

From the man who was officially her adoptive father. But the adoption had only been done to explain the presence of a then-fifteen-year-old girl among a group of criminals. An explanation and a warning to those criminals. Because everyone knew Talon Karrde protected his people. 

When she arrived at the door to his quarters, Mara smoothed a hand over her braided hair and straightened her jumpsuit, then rapped on the door firmly.

“Enter,” Karrde said, his voice floating through the door. Mara hit the panel and stepped into the well-appointed suite of rooms that were dominated by a massive tree, reaching from the floor to the sky through an opening in the roof. 

Talon Karrde, perhaps the best-connected smuggler in the galaxy, looked up from a datapad and smiled at her. “Good evening, Mara. Have a seat at the table.” 

She nodded, moving towards the table and only pausing to pat Sturm and then Drang, Karrde’s pet vornskrs. Then she took her seat, dropping the cloth napkin in her lap.

It was one of the strange things about Karrde: how civilized he appeared to be. After spending her entire life on the fringes of the galaxy, surviving under the worst conditions, Mara had long ago learned that people were who they appeared to be and who they truly were. But Karrde appeared to be exactly what he seemed. 

Mara didn’t like such neat and tidy conclusions. Life was messy. 

He joined her at the table within a moment, carefully spreading his own napkin and then lifting the cover on a dish of food between them. The bantha stew was steaming hot, its fragrance taking Mara back to Tatooine, to Jakku, to the dozen other planets she had scratched out an existence on before meeting Karrde. 

“I won’t beat around the bush,” Karrde said, lifting up a spoon and serving her first before himself. “I wanted to talk about your future.” 

She cocked an eyebrow at him as she lifted a glass and sipped the sparkling water Karrde served at every meal. “Since I have a future now?” 

“You always did. You’re too talented to not survive, Mara,” Karrde responded. “But now that you’re nearly eighteen, I thought you might be considering other options than continuing with us.” 

Picking up a fork, Mara moved around her serving of stew to hide her face. The truth was, she _hadn’t_ been thinking about her future. Survivors didn’t think about the future: that vast nebulous time starting after the present day. And she didn’t think of herself as anything but a survivor. 

“No, I haven’t,” she said, seeing no reason to lie to him. He wouldn’t have started this conversation if he didn’t have an idea about her future, so she might as well hear what he had to say. 

Karrde nodded as if he knew what she was thinking. “As I said, you’re very talented, Mara. You have a set of skills that would make you one of the better smugglers the galaxy has ever seen.”

Lock picking. Pickpocketing. Hotwiring. Piloting. Ship repair. Haggling and bargaining. Hand-to-hand combat. As long as it didn’t involve selling her body, Mara had done it at some point in her life. And Karrde knew that, since they had met when she had snuck onto one of his ships. 

“I sense a ‘but’,” Mara said, eating a small bite of stew.

“You’re still very young,” Karrde said. “And your past . . . it has not equipped you with other skills you need if you are to take over my business someday.” 

Her fingers relaxed around her spoon, almost to the point of dropping it, before they tightened enough for the metal to dig into her palm. “Take over your business?” 

Karrde looked at her, his eyebrows raised. “You are my loving, long-lost daughter, after all. Who else would I leave my business to?” 

Mara huffed and stabbed her spoon into the stew. “We both know that’s a crock of rancor shavit.” 

“Perhaps,” Karrde said in that annoying, know-it-all voice. “But putting aside appearances, there’s the fact you are intelligent, cunning, and resourceful; you have the instincts. The other skills--inspiring a crew to follow you, knowledge of the galaxy’s needs and how smugglers fill those needs--those can be developed. So, if you are interested, I’d like to have you start working on the bridge crew of the _Wild Karrde_.” 

That got her attention. She looked up from her stew. “The bridge crew?” 

He nodded, his eyes as always cool and knowing. “Yes. So you can see the business in action, get to know the crew and my contacts, and so on.” 

She chewed slowly, thinking that over. Up until now, she had stayed on Myrkr, doing whatever jobs came her way. Inventory and supply, logistical support, shuttling people from the base to Hyllyard City and the other spots of “civilization” on this rock. 

If she took Karrde’s offer . . . she would be off-planet. 

And the dreams would come back. 

Giving herself a mental shake, Mara looked at Karrde. “Will I make a salary above and beyond room and board?” 

Karrde’s thin lips smiled from within his dark goatee. “Twenty-five credits a day for ten hours of work, an extra five credits for every hour over ten.” 

“Forty and ten,” Mara countered immediately. 

He didn’t say anything, merely held her eyes. Mara didn’t look away and finally, Karrde chuckled. “Thirty and eight.” 

Mara considered that for a moment. “Thirty-five and six.” 

“Agreed,” Karrde said, holding his hand out to her. 

XXX

With a gentle push forward on the hyperdrive lever, Luke dropped his X-Wing out of hyperspace, the star lines collapsing into stars. Floating before him was Ord Mantell, its surface covered in pink clouds. Ships of all sizes, from skyhoppers to large freighters, moved between the planet, its moons, and out into space. 

Luke felt the excitement well up inside him, too strong for any Jedi calming exercise. Because Ord Mantell was dangerous! Smugglers, pirates, criminals--they all visited this planet, passed through this system. And even after a decade of Republic and Jedi attempts to bring peace to the Bright Star system, lawlessness persisted. 

A soft tone sounded in his headset, and he heard Master Ahsoka’s voice. “Alpha Squadron, this is Alpha-1. Proceed to the landing coordinates at Morro Spaceport.” 

Looking around, Luke saw the Lambda-class shuttle that Master Ahsoka was piloting with Master Plo Koon. Most of the Jedi Masters were on the shuttle, while the Padawans flew the eleven X-Wings that made up the rest of Alpha Squadron. The only exception was Master Luminara, who was designated as Alpha-2. 

He glanced down at the screen, noting the coordinates and moving into position. When it was his turn, he glided his X-Wing down carefully, landing with little more than a gentle bump. Popping the canopy, Luke stood up and swung his legs over the side and then pushed off. The Force cushioned his landing, and then he reached out to take Artoo in a Force grip and lower his droid to the ground. 

As he walked past the ground crew, he thought he heard some muttering--something that sounded like “kriffing show-off”--but Luke was more focused on joining the Masters and Padawans disembarking from the Lambda shuttle and the other X-Wings.

“Your belongings and droids will be transferred to our accommodations,” Master Plo Koon said to the assembled group. “For now, we will proceed to our meeting with the governor of Ord Mantell at Government House.” 

Luke patted Artoo on his dome. “See you later, Artoo.” He started walking, not surprised to find Master Ahsoka by his side. 

“Smooth flying?” she asked.

Nodding, Luke said, “Yeah, I’m glad I replaced that stabilizer.” 

“Good,” Master Ahsoka said, eyeing him. “Thinking about any pranks to pull on this trip?” 

“Not at all,” he said, meaning it. “This is serious.” 

“Yes, it is,” Ahsoka said, folding her arms over her chest. “I’ve been on many serious missions. And I have never done pranks, or helped your father pull pranks.” 

He did a double-take. “What? Really?” 

Master Ahsoka laughed. “Really. Poor Master Obi-Wan.”

“You pulled a prank on Master Obi-Wan?” Luke asked, a bit embarrassed by how high-pitched his voice was. But . . . Master Obi-Wan was the most unflappable, serious-minded, composed Jedi Luke had ever encountered. 

“The best one was this one time, Anakin told me to follow his lead, and we went in to see Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, starting to laugh uproariously. “And Anakin started laying out this big, elaborate strategy against--oh, I don’t remember who. But the plan was all about crawling through sewers and dealing with spiders as big as your hand--and Master Obi-Wan _hates_ spiders--and I’m just nodding along and--and--” 

At this, Master Ahsoka had to stop talking so she could finish laughing. Luke stared at her, trying to imagine this prank, trying to imagine _his father_ doing this to _Master Obi-Wan_. 

“And finally, Anakin tries to tell Obi-Wan that they’ll have to do this in Twi’lek dancer costumes, but he just can’t do it and he starts laughing, and I fall over, I’m laughing so hard,” Ahsoka said, grinning widely. “And Master Obi-Wan looks at both of us and says, ‘My legs are fantastic, so this plan sounds solid.’” 

“He didn’t!” Luke said, feeling like his whole world was turned upside down, even as he started laughing, too.

“He did!” Ahsoka said, grinning at him. “We never tried to prank him again. There was no way we could ever top that one.” 

She nudged his arm. “I understand that I came down too hard on you. But I want you to understand there’s a time and a place for mischief. All right?” 

Luke nodded. “Yes, Master Ahsoka. And I do really want to treat this mission as seriously as Master Plo Koon or any other Jedi would. Because it’s important work, trying to make Ord Mantell safer.” 

“It’s definitely important work, bringing peace and stability to the planet,” Master Ahsoka said. “And it’s the role the Jedi are perfect for. Let’s get to work.” 

Nodding, Luke followed Master Ahsoka, looking around and wondering what this mission would hold. 

XXX

With a sigh, Luke leaned back in the cockpit of his X-Wing, looking around at the stars. 

They had been in Ord Mantell for two and a half weeks now. After a few meetings with the governor, the Jedi and Padawans had been dispersed to settlements around the planet. In each location, they worked to promote adherence to the Republic’s laws and negotiate disputes. 

And it was really boring. Even patrolling the planetary perimeter, like he was doing right now, was boring. But no matter what, it seemed like the smugglers and criminals weren’t very interested in the Jedi helping them resolve conflicts or influencing them towards a different lifestyle. 

Perhaps it was a lack of knowledge on his part. He had spent some time watching the local holonet channels and had gone out into Worlport, both on his own and with a few other Padawans, trying to get a feel for the city and the planet. But since they were forbidden to enter cantinas and casinos, he still didn’t really feel like he understood the problems and concerns of the people of Ord Mantell. 

It got even worse when he and Master Ahsoka were sent to Great Rock, a small settlement out on the frontier. It should have been exciting--like an adventure holoshow. Especially since Master Ahsoka had eased up on him. They should be solving problems, he should be learning more about being a Jedi. But instead, there was just . . . nothing to do. 

Lazily running a sensor sweep, Luke looked out at the blankness of space. He was tempted to do some maneuvers. Or maybe he could call Leia? Perhaps his twin would have a suggestion for what to do about his feelings. A better answer than “meditating.” 

Doing the math in his head, Luke realized it was the middle of the night on Coruscant. And as much as Leia was likely to be awake, she also wouldn’t want to be disturbed from her work. 

There was a low tone as his sensor sweep completed, nearly drowned out by a series of energetic beeps from Artoo. Luke glanced down at the screen in his cockpit for the translation. 

“Four unidentified ships have dropped out of hyperspace, bearing 0-2-7.” 

Surprised, Luke looked in that direction, doing his best not to immediately jump to conclusions. That was another flaw Master Ahsoka had been cautioning him against. It was unusual, though, for that many ships to be flying together. All his previous patrols had only encountered a handful of skyhoppers and the odd, beat-up freighter flying solo.

But one look was all he needed to know he needed to go on alert. 

There were two ships, easily identified as YT-2400 freighters, with each ship’s thirteen weapons emplacements showing as full, according to his sensors. That was worrying enough--but then there were the two ships flanking the freighters. Luke knew they were starfighters, but they were a model he wasn’t familiar with. But he could see the laser cannons mounted on each wing. 

Luke drew in a slow breath. It could just be a convoy--a very well-armed convoy, but nothing necessarily dangerous. Reaching out to the Force, he sought calm, then opened a communication channel to Master Ahsoka.

There was no response in the few seconds the channel was open, before it was immediately overwhelmed by static. 

“Artoo, raise the deflector shields and see if you can break through that jamming,” Luke said as he maneuvered his X-Wing closer to the ships. He swung around in a wide arc, positioning himself as non-aggressively as he could. 

The jamming suddenly cleared and Luke immediately opened another channel, this time to the ships ahead of him. “Unidentified ships, this is Jedi X-Wing AA-589. I’m Padawan Luke Skywalker, attached to the Ord Mantell Security Forces, and I’m prepared to offer assistance if you need it.” 

“Stinking Jedi,” a deep voice snarled. “Stay out of our business and we won’t blow you outta the sky.” 

Even without the Force, he could sense the menace in the speaker’s voice. And while he wanted to stay calm, he also didn’t want to let the insult go by like he hadn’t noticed. 

“Unidentified ships,” Luke said, summoning up his best impression of his mother, “No need to be rude. If you don’t need help, I’ll just go back to my sector patrol. Wishing you open skies to your destination.” 

A flicker from the Force was the only warning he received before the starfighters fired, sending red blaster bolts screeching past the stars. But it was enough time for him to corkscrew his X-Wing down and under the ships, seeking a better position. 

The smart thing to do was to make for the landing pad at Great Rock, to report the unidentified hostile ships and let the planetary security forces take over.

But Luke wasn’t sure the smart thing to do was what he should do right now. Dodging blaster bolts, he called to Artoo, “Lock the S-foils.”

Artoo whistled, sounding unsure. 

“Do it!” Luke ordered, jinking past the freighters. “And open a channel to Master Ahsoka. If she doesn’t answer immediately, signal me and I’ll leave a message.” 

He could hear the beeps as the channel opened, and then he heard Ahsoka’s voice. “Luke? What the kriff is going--”

“Two YT-2400s, heavily armed, with two unknown starfighters!” Luke interrupted. He fired towards the starfighters, but they evaded his fire. “They fired on me. I’m trying to get--” 

A yelp from Artoo, a shudder from his ship, and a sudden vulnerable feeling told Luke something was wrong even before he looked at the readouts. 

He’d been hit. And the deflector shields were down. 

“Everything to the engines!” he said, pointing his ship towards the planet. He had to hope he had enough speed to get out of range of the ships’ weapons and get to the landing pad. 

For a few seconds, he thought it had worked. But then, it was like he ran into a brick wall. His body slammed against the restraints and Artoo wailed. 

“A tractor beam?” Luke said in disbelief. What freighter had a--

The mental question was shoved aside as the turbulence mounted. With the engines on full but caught in a tractor beam, his ship was shaking like a single Jawa inside an empty sandcrawler. Luke gripped the steering yoke, shifting in all directions to see if he could break free of the beam. Almost there . . . 

The comms crackled as the same speaker said, “X-Wing, you’re just hurting the ship we want. Shut down or we’re gonna get testy.” 

Luke felt a flare of anger, but he knew the voice spoke correctly. If he kept fighting, he’d shake his ship apart. He shifted the thrusters to standby, but that just made him feel angrier. 

This whole situation had gotten out of control. He was one of the best pilots on Coruscant, Force-sensitive or no, and to be caught so easily made his stomach twist with embarrassment and anger. And he wasn’t going to let himself go down like this. 

All those times he had listened to his father talk about tactics and battles, all the gatherings with members of the 501st, there had to be a way to break free of the tractor beam. If they had mounted a tractor unit on one of the YT-2400s, even with their massive engine, it couldn’t be that strong. There had to be--

“Artoo!” Luke said quickly as something came to him. “I want you to reverse-trigger the acceleration compensator, then throw everything we have to the forward thrusters. Lay in a course out of this system, I don’t care where, just a couple of lightyears away, and go to lightspeed as soon as we’re clear. Can you do that?” 

There was a beep of acknowledgement and as he waited for Artoo, he felt a sense of worry through the Force. Like he had forgotten something.

It was going to be fine. As soon as they were out of this system, he’d send a message to Ahsoka and then make his way back to Ord Mantell. She knew he was in trouble and had probably already alerted the planetary forces to deal with the convoy. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

Artoo whistled and there was a strange sense of weightlessness, but it was only due to the lack of pull from the tractor beam. 

They were free! 

Luke dived, evading the starfighters that had opened fire again, and then felt himself be pushed back against his seat as his ship was pulled into hyperspace. 

Taking a deep breath, he did his best to release his adrenaline and fear into the Force, seeking calm. He hoped when he spoke to Ahsoka, she wouldn’t be too mad at him. 

Hopefully, any anger she felt would be mitigated by having him back, safe and sound. 

Hopefully.

End, Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter, I misidentified Luke's ID number for his X-Wing, so I've corrected that. It's not a big error, but it's the Ben Wyatt in me. 
> 
> "I don't have the time to explain . . . actually, it's going to bug me if I don't." :-)
> 
> Happy reading!

The hum of the _Wild Karrde_ ’s engines was soothing: a low rumble that normally couldn’t be heard during the day’s activity. But at night, Mara could almost feel the sound wrapping around her like a blanket. 

It was one of the two companions she had each and every night. Neither were welcome, really. If it was the hum, it meant she was awake. And if it was the dreams . . . 

With a glance at the chrono, Mara blew out a breath and sat up in her bunk. It was more than an hour before she would normally get up, but she wasn’t going to get any more sleep tonight. She might as well report for duty early. After a few weeks manning weapons, Karrde was letting her try navigation, and there was always more to learn about astronavigation. 

Her morning routine was simple and easy to perform on autopilot, but today, Mara focused on each step. Use the sonic shower, swirl teeth rinse in her mouth, braid her hair. She was halfway through making a coronet braid before she realized what she was doing. She yanked her hair loose, shaking away the vision as she shook loose her red-gold hair. 

That was the problem with the dreams: they were so vivid. So easy to believe they were real. Even though she knew what she saw had never happened. But it was so easy to slip into those visions even when she was awake.

Gritting her teeth, Mara tightly braided her hair and went to pull on a jumpsuit. A small vibroblade went into her left boot before she wrapped the blaster holster around her right wrist. She was still getting used to the sleeve blaster. Karrde had given it to her, saying she needed to be armed but that he didn’t want her to advertise that status. 

“Enjoy the ability to be underestimated. It will save your life,” he had said.

It wasn’t a lesson she needed to learn. It was how she had managed to survive until now. But Mara couldn’t see a reason to tell Karrde that, so she had merely accepted the blaster and holster. After a few hours of practice, she could easily flick her wrist so the blaster would slide out of the holster and into her hand.

She stopped in the galley for a cup of caff, sipping it slowly and letting it clear the last of the fog. By the time she was done, Mara felt awake and ready for the day. 

At this hour, the Wild Karrde’s bridge was quiet. Through the transparisteel windows, the blue swirl of hyperspace gave a sense of peace and stability. Mara nodded to Shirlee Faughn, who was in charge of the night shift. 

“Morning, Mara,” Faughn said. “Early start today.” Her voice made the statement sound like a question, but Mara wasn’t about to be baited into revealing her feelings. 

“Just felt like it,” Mara replied, walking over to the navigation station. She paused and looked over at the other woman. “You don’t have a problem with it?” 

Faughn lazily waved a hand in the air, then covered her mouth as she yawned. “Nope,” she said. “Just gonna be a long day for you.” 

Mara shrugged and punched up the charts for this section of the galaxy. They had been hopscotching their way around the border between the Mid and Outer Rims, making deliveries. From Myrkr, they had stopped at Mandalore, then Obroa-Skai, and now they were on their way to Yaga Minor. For each leg, Mara had looked over the charts, plotting routes and then checking them against the navicomputer. Now halfway to Yaga Minor, she wanted to start planning their return trip to Myrkr. 

It was one step up from busywork, Mara knew. After all, the whole point of the navicomputer was to plot hyperspace routes that wouldn’t send you into a star or through a gravity well. But she could grasp the reason for the work, and it was relatively engrossing. 

She could almost overlook the twitches she felt. Those hunches that came to her as she plotted a course, making her choose a particular route through stars and past planets. Hunches that were usually confirmed by the navicomputer as correct--as the only way to reach their destination. 

At least those flickers of instinct were helpful, Mara thought grimly. Not like her dreams. 

Pushing aside her thoughts, Mara focused on the star charts between Yaga Minor and Myrkr. The tingle on the back of her neck made her hunch her shoulders, stubbornly keeping her eyes on the charts. 

And then, with a sickening swirl, the stars blurred in front of her and Mara fell into a vision. 

_The man, in his late twenties, is in the cockpit of a small starfighter. The ship drifts in space, surrounded by stars, with no signs of civilization as far as the eye can see. His eyes are closed, but Mara knows those eyes are a clear blue. His face is gaunt, cheeks hollowed out, and his flight suit looks strangely baggy. He’s breathing slowly--he looks almost peaceful. An astromech droid in its socket chirps and then lets out a wail as the man vanishes, his helmet dropping to rest on top of his empty flight suit._

“Mara!” 

With a jerk, Mara came out of the vision, squeezing her eyes shut. Even the dim lights of the night shift were too bright, and she’s trembling and sweaty, the metal deckplates hard underneath her.

“What the kriffing hells are you doing?!?” Faughn shouted. “You dropped us out of hyperspace without warning!”

Her head was pounding, but Mara tried to push the pain away enough to focus. “I did what?” 

Faughn gestured to the windows, showing individual pinpricks of light instead of the swirl of hyperspace. “All of a sudden, you got up, went to the helm station and pushed aside H’sishi--you’re lucky you didn’t get a few claw swipes, but she was too surprised--and you took us out of hyperspace. In the middle of nowhere.” 

The pain in her head was easing slightly and Mara wasn’t sure if using her headache would help her gain sympathy or just make her look weak. But then she spoke, and her decision was made by how her voice cracked. “I . . . I did that?” 

“Yup,” Faughn said, still clearly angry and confused. But Mara could tell the woman was starting to think logically instead of emotionally. “Lemme get Karrde.” 

Mara nodded a little, wincing at how it made her head feel. She watched as Faughn picked up her comlink to call Karrde, but suddenly Mara knew something else needed to happen first. 

“Wait--have we done a sensor sweep?” 

“No, I was a little busy making sure everyone on the ship was okay,” Faughn said cuttingly. Then she sighed and gestured to H’sishi. “Do a scan.” 

The Togorian, with a glare at Mara, complied with Faughn’s instructions. Mara pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her temples. 

“What the hell happened, Mara?” Faughn asked quietly. 

Looking up at Faughn, she tried to come up with some kind of answer. But she couldn’t. She was still trying to think of what to say when Faughn’s comlink beeped. 

“This is Karrde,” Mara heard when Faughn answered her comm. “What happened?” 

Faughn looked at Mara again, then said, “We’re still not sure what, Boss. We came out of hyperspace.”

“That is clear,” Karrde said dryly. “I’m coming to the bridge.” 

“Understood,” Faughn said, before turning to H’sishi. “Anything on the scans?” 

[Yes,] H’sishi mewled in surprise. [There is a starfighter, tentatively identified as an X-Wing, off our port bow.]

XXX

A cascade of whistles and beeps pulled Luke out of his meditation, his way to pass the time and regain some emotional equilibrium. Their escape from the ships off Ord Mantell had been so heart-pounding and overwhelming. It wasn’t fitting for a Jedi. He needed balance for whatever lay ahead. 

“Okay, Artoo,” he said, rubbing his eyes. Then he frowned and looked out the canopy, wondering why they weren’t in hyperspace.

“What’s going on?” he asked his droid, toggling a few switches. 

“The hyperdrive has stopped working. It appears reverse triggering the acceleration compensator sent feedback through the hyperdrive motivators.” The translation of Artoo’s beeps scrolled across his screen and Luke felt a flicker of worry. 

“Okay . . . so we’ll send a message to Master Ahsoka with our coordinates,” Luke said, pressing the button to open up a comm channel. 

All he heard was static, followed by more beeps from Artoo and another translation. “The feedback also damaged the subspace radio antenna.” 

Luke stared at the words, almost refusing to let them sink in. Damaged hyperdrives were one thing, but to have no radio on top of that . . . 

“What can we do?” he asked Artoo, bracing himself for the answer. 

There was a long pause, then Artoo let a thoughtful beep. “It will take approximately five weeks to travel back to Ord Mantell at sublight speed.” 

“That’s not really an answer, Artoo,” Luke said, reaching out to the Force and attempting to release his fear. 

Artoo let out the auditory equivalent of a huff and Luke sighed. “I’m sorry. Okay, so . . .” 

He let his voice trail off, hoping Artoo would come up with a better suggestion. But there was silence from his droid. 

But then, Luke was the one to get them into this mess. So he supposed it was up to him to figure out a solution. 

“Is there any way we could repair the hyperdrives?” Luke asked. 

Artoo gave a decidedly negative whistle and Luke swallowed before asking, “Okay . . . what about the radio? Could we fix the antenna?” 

This time, Artoo’s answer was more ambiguous. Luke felt a flutter of hope. “Yeah?” 

Unable to decode the message from Artoo’s beeps, Luke looked at the scope for the translation. “The subspace radio antenna is ten kilometers of superconducting wire wrapped around a U-shaped core. It is possible only the outer wire is damaged.” 

“So if we find another 10K of wire in the ship, we could replace the wire and get the antenna working?” Luke asked, feeling his hopes rise.

Artoo beeped, sounding both positive and worried. 

“Okay, what’s the problem?” Luke asked. “You’ll be able to find the wire, right?” 

“Of course,” Artoo said, his chirps sounding insulted. “But then I’d have to wrap the wire.” 

“Oh, c’mon, Artoo. Are you saying you can’t do what some dumb wire-wrapping machine does all day long?” 

In the middle of Artoo’s wail of disdain, Luke found himself smiling. “You know I couldn’t do this without you, Artoo,” he said. 

Letting out the droid equivalent of a sniff, Artoo said, “Of course you couldn’t. The sensor jammer only has eight kilometers of wire, but that might be enough.” 

“All right,” Luke said, grabbing his helmet and glove seals. “I’ll get the wire. And while you’re working on wrapping it around the antenna, I’ll go into a hibernation trance to stretch out the life support.” 

Artoo let out a worried whistle. “I know, but it’s the only option,” Luke said. “I trust you, Artoo. Don’t worry.” 

Luke fitted the seals and then popped the canopy of the X-Wing, carefully climbing out and moving towards the sensor jammer. 

This plan was their best shot for rescue, their best shot to reach safety. He trusted Artoo and he trusted the Force. 

That was enough for him. 

He got the wire and the antenna, then helped get Artoo started on the wire wrapping. Once he returned to the cockpit, he settled down, looking out at the stars. 

If this didn’t work . . . he wished he could speak to his family again. To say goodbye. To tell Master Ahsoka how much she had helped him and how he wished he could keep training with her. 

Closing his eyes, he reached out. _Dad . . . Mom . . . Leia . . . Master Ahsoka . . . I love you all._

There was no answer. He wasn’t strong enough in the Force to transmit across such great distances. Opening his eyes, Luke took one last look at Artoo before switching the X-Wing to low power. With everything taken care of, there was nothing left for him to do. Closing his eyes and stretching out with the Force, he sank into a hibernation trance. 

XXX

A soft, mournful trill began to register on Luke as he was pulled out of his trance. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes, feeling confused when he saw no lights in the cockpit, no translation from Artoo, nothing. 

“Artoo . . . ?” he asked, turning around awkwardly to look back at the droid. 

And as fast as snow melting on Tatooine, his confusion vanished when he saw the Corellian freighter pulling up behind them. 

There wasn’t much he could do, but he wasn’t about to make that obvious. Not after what had happened off Ord Mantell, when he had been trusting and naïve.

Powering up the X-Wing, Luke used the maneuvering jets to turn them around. Only pausing to draw strength from the Force, he answered the hail he was receiving. 

“ . . . offer assistance? Repeating: Unidentified X-Wing, this is the _Wild Karrde_. May we offer assistance?” 

The voice was firm, professional, female. He sensed no duplicity from her, only the feeling of someone following orders. 

Besides, it wasn’t like he had any other options. 

“ _Wild Karrde_ , this is Jedi X-Wing AA-589. I’m Luke Skywalker and I would appreciate a lift back to Ord Mantell.”

“I doubt you can afford our rates for a charter flight,” the voice said--was it possible to hear a smirk? “But I’ve been authorized to invite you aboard, to discuss arrangements with the boss.”

Luke frowned. He didn’t like this. Something felt off. Reaching out with his senses, he searched the _Wild Karrde_ , noting the number of people on board, which fit with his limited knowledge of the crew needed for a freighter of that size. 

But there was one presence . . . shining bright in the Force. Fresh and clear, but tinged with a sadness surpassing anything he had ever felt. But even more interesting was the complete lack of training he sensed in that presence. 

How was that possible? 

“All right,” Luke said, his curiosity growing. “I’d like to bring my droid along. And could my ship be towed?” 

“It’s your credits,” the woman said. “We’re sending a force cylinder to you. Hold tight and we’ll get you aboard.” 

“Understood,” Luke said. 

Artoo let out a concerned beep. “It’ll be okay, Artoo,” Luke reassured him, not needing to see the translation to know the droid was worried. He was worried, too. 

He tucked the seals for his helmet and gloves into the pocket of his flight suit, just in case. He wrapped his utility belt around his waist, wishing he had been able to bring along the lightsaber he used at the Temple. Having just a blaster, while better than nothing, didn’t make him feel very confident. 

Once the force cylinder was in place, he popped the canopy and climbed out. Artoo had ejected from the socket and was floating in the air. As he pushed off from the X-Wing, moving towards the Wild Karrde, Luke got a Force grip on Artoo and pulled him towards the ship.

A stocky man with a Froffli haircut nodded to him as Luke reached the open hatch. “Welcome aboard. This way.” 

Followed by Artoo, Luke walked down the hallway, looking around as he reached out with the Force. Closer to that bright presence, he felt drawn to it. Wondering where they were on the ship, if he would get a chance to meet them. 

“Just up here,” the man said, nodding to a door at the end of the corridor. 

“Okay,” Luke said. “Meeting the boss, right?” 

He didn’t say anything, just led Luke to the door and knocked on the door. 

A cultured voice called out, “Come in.” 

The door slid open and the man gestured to Luke to step into the room. He did so, stepping far enough in so Artoo could slide into the room before the door closed. 

The room was fairly expansive and luxurious for a freighter: quiet elegance, he could imagine his mother remarking. A tall man--probably the person who had invited him inside--stepped towards him, a hand extended. 

“Jedi Skywalker?” he asked, his blue eyes cool and measuring. “I’m Talon Karrde.”

“Padawan Luke Skywalker,” he replied, shaking the man’s hand. “Thank you for the rescue, Captain Karrde.” 

“You’re welcome,” Karrde said, gesturing to a conversation area with a small sofa and two chairs facing it. “Please, have a seat. Let us discuss how we can assist you.” 

Luke sat down in a chair, hoping he appeared calm and centered. Karrde settled across from him on the sofa, leaning back and eyeing him speculatively. “Jedi typically have small stipends when away from their training centers. But of course, the son of Anakin Skywalker has other resources.”

“My mother would be amused by that description,” Luke said. “But then--” 

At the same moment he heard the door open behind him, he felt that sunshine-bright Force presence approach. Wheeling around in his chair, Luke felt his mouth drop open at who he saw. 

A girl about his age, with red-gold hair pulled back in a braid and eyes as green as the plains on Naboo. Eyes filled with a swirl of emotions that he couldn’t untangle. But he couldn’t miss the hate that simmered inside her. 

Why did she hate him? 

Dimly, Luke registered that Karrde was speaking. “Ah, Mara, come meet our guest. Luke Skywalker, my adopted daughter, Mara Jade.” 

End, Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka gets the rescue operation underway, and Luke and Mara get to talk. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and happy Valentine's Day!

There weren’t enough Jedi calming exercises to abate her anger and disgust at the moment. And while Ahsoka could just imagine what Master Yoda would say about her behavior, Master Yoda wasn’t here. 

“I repeat again, I require the services of the Ord Mantell Security Forces to assist with search and rescue for my Padawan,” she said into the comm, putting a bit of the Force into her voice. 

“And _I_ repeat again, the entire force is dealing with a situation on the other side of the planet,” the Falleen controller said, sounding completely unswayed by her use of the Force. 

“What could be happening that requires the entire security force?” Ashoka asked, unable to hold back her annoyance. 

The controller shrugged his shoulders. “My apologies, Jedi Tano. As soon as the situation is resolved, we’ll send someone to your coordinates.” 

“Fine,” she snapped, jabbing her finger against the comm button to end the call. Taking a deep breath, Ahsoka ran through another calming exercise. She opened herself to the Force, seeking its strength and guidance. 

Her anger and fear wouldn’t help her find Luke. Even though the idea of her Padawan, exposed to such danger, was enough to cripple her. Not just because she cared about Luke, but because she could only imagine how his parents would react if something happened to their beloved son. 

But right now, she needed to focus on finding Luke. 

If the Ord Mantell Security Forces couldn’t help her, she would contact Master Plo Koon to mobilize the Jedi on this planet to begin searching for Luke. She had managed to pull Luke’s coordinates at the time he placed his comm to her, so at least they had a place to start. 

Ahsoka reached out to open a comm channel to Master Plo Koon, only for her comm to beep with an incoming call.

When she tapped on the button to accept the call, she actually wasn’t surprised to see her old master’s face. 

“Ahsoka, something’s wrong,” Anakin said, frowning a little. “You’re upset.” 

“I am, Master,” she said, trying to keep herself calm. Even from Coruscant, she could feel Anakin reaching out to her, offering her comfort and support. It made telling him what had happened even harder, but . . . but if there was anyone who could find Luke, it was his father. 

“Luke was running a patrol and he was attacked,” Ahsoka said, falling into the old patterns from the Clone Wars when he was General Skywalker. “I don’t have many details, but I’m pretty sure he was able to escape, by making a hyperspace jump out of the system. But he wasn’t able to tell me where he was going.” 

Even with the blue tinge of the holo, she could see his face pale. But his jaw also tightened. 

“I’ll be in the air in an hour,” Anakin said. “I’ll do short jumps to Ord Mantell, so I’ll receive any progress updates you send me without much delay.” 

“Yes, Master,” Ahsoka said. “My next call is to Master Plo Koon to mobilize everyone here on-planet to begin the search.” 

“Good, good,” Anakin said distractedly. “Talk to you soon.” 

The comm ended and Ahsoka quickly input Master Plo Koon’s personal comm code. With Anakin coming--and probably with Master Obi-Wan as well--there was no doubt that together, they would find Luke. And he would be safe and sound, without so much as a stubbed toe.

Because Force help anyone who hurt Luke Skywalker. 

XXX

Luke knew he was staring. He knew it, Mara knew it, and Talon Karrde definitely knew it. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself from getting caught up in Mara’s presence. She was just so powerful!

All his life, Luke had been surrounded by people strong in the Force. Each of their presences shone bright, acting like location pins in his mental map. There was the bright yellow glow of his father, eclipsing everyone else’s, like how the suns on Tatooine filled the sky. Then there was Master Yoda and Uncle Obi-Wan and Master Ahsoka, lights that gleamed green and orange and white. There was Leia, a shimmering, shifting blue based on her mood. 

But this girl? She was a dramatic amethyst color, pure and clean, absolutely unfiltered. And her power pulsed with emotion and strength. 

He just couldn’t look away. Especially now that Captain Karrde had stepped away to take a comm from one of his people, leaving him alone with Mara. 

“Stop it,” Mara hissed at him. “Don’t you learn it’s rude to stare in the Core?” 

Swallowing, Luke felt his face flush. “Yes, I did,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s just--” 

“Just what?” she said, her sense in the Force warning him not to complete his sentence. As if she was telling him not to let on what she was capable of. 

Luke frowned, trying to figure this out. Trying to figure _her_ out. 

“My apologies, Padawan Skywalker,” Captain Karrde said as he resumed his seat. “My business interests are rather far-flung and they don’t always cooperate with each other.” 

“Yes,” he said, trying to focus on the task at hand. Namely: getting home, or at least making contact with Master Ahsoka. “I understand.” 

Captain Karrde smiled thinly, like he was amused by Luke’s words. It made him feel a flicker of anger, but Luke pushed it aside. 

“As I said, I’m hoping you could take me back to Ord Mantell,” Luke said, running a hand through his hair. “If that’s not possible, the next planet with a repair yard that could replace the hyperdrives on my ship.” 

“Taking you back to Ord Mantell is out of the question,” Captain Karrde said. “Picking you up has interfered with our delivery schedule. But since we’re on our way to Yaga Minor, that would suit as a planet with a repair yard. If you can’t get a ship repaired on Yaga Minor, it can’t be repaired.” He tsked. “Always seemed foolish to put a hyperdrive on something so small, I thought. But I suppose it’s not a problem for a Jedi.” 

While Captain Karrde was correct that he’d have no problems getting back to Ord Mantell from Yaga Minor, Luke still frowned as he did some mental calculations. “When is your expected arrival at Yaga Minor?” 

“Should be arriving in about forty hours,” Captain Karrde said. “Just in time to make our delivery.” 

There was a sudden shift in Mara’s Force presence. He wasn’t able to hold on to it long enough to figure out what it meant, but it put Luke on his guard. 

“I suppose that will work,” Luke said. “Thank you for the assistance, Captain Karrde. I’m afraid I don’t have any credits on me, but if I can make a comm to my parents, they’ll arrange payment for you.” 

“No need,” Captain Karrde said, waving a hand in the air.

Mara huffed. “You’re not gonna charge him?” More than sounding annoyed at her adopted father’s words, she sounded like she didn’t understand why. A feeling Luke shared. 

Admittedly, he had grown up in privilege, but Luke knew that the Core was vastly different from the rest of the galaxy. A man like Captain Karrde could be a respectable trader, but . . . out here? Where criminal syndicates like the Hutts and Black Sun interfered with law and order? It was much more likely Captain Karrde had a nefarious purpose to his generosity.

Captain Karrde’s eyes softened slightly, looking less like chips of ice, as he looked at Mara. But his voice was firm. “Helping a stranded traveler makes the galaxy less vast. Now our young Jedi-in-training owes us a favor.” 

He turned his head to look at Luke. “And when it’s a Jedi-in-training with such connections as Padawan Skywalker . . . the value is incalculable.” 

Doing his best to hide his disappointment at being right, Luke said, “I assure you, whatever price you name, my family can pay it. Credits are easy to come by--I won’t agree to any arrangement that puts their safety at risk. I pay my own debts.” 

“Must be nice,” Mara remarked acidly. “To know you can ransack not just the Galactic Senate to pay us off, but the whole of the Jedi Order. They’d do anything to keep Anakin Skywalker happy after he saved them all from getting spaced.”

“My father--” Luke began, only for Captain Karrde to raise a hand.

“Mara, that’s enough,” he told her, before turning to Luke. “My apologies. My daughter has strong opinions. I’m afraid my offer stands. Transport for you, your droid, and your ship to Yaga Minor, in exchange for your agreement to provide assistance to me when requested. I assure you, no one respects Jedi more than I. I won’t ask you for anything unbefitting a Jedi.” 

_Yeah, right_ , Luke thought to himself. But what other option did he have? Better to go with the mynock in his hand than the one in space. And while Captain Karrde was definitely amused by all of this, there was nothing about him that marked him as untrustworthy. 

“All right,” Luke said. “I have a small case in the storage compartment of my X-Wing. May I retrieve that?” 

“Of course. Mara will escort you to the hangar, then to your room. Put him in the aft guest quarters, Mara.” 

Mara looked less than happy about this, but she rose to her feet and walked towards the door. 

“Thank you, Captain Karrde,” Luke said, rising to his feet. “Oh, and I’d also like to make that comm call, but to my master? She doesn’t know what happened to me.” 

“There’s a comm unit in your quarters. Someone on the bridge will help you place your call whenever you like,” Captain Karrde assured him. 

Nodding his thanks, Luke gestured for Artoo and then followed Mara out the door. She was nearly as tall as he was, and she strode briskly down the corridors, almost like she was trying to lose him. 

Luke all but broke into a jog to catch up with her. “I want to apologize again--” 

“Stow it,” Mara said, not looking at him. “I’m not interested.” 

“I was taken aback and it made me act rudely,” Luke persisted. “So I’m sorry.” 

“Fine.” 

He waited to see if she would say more, but when she didn’t, Luke said, “So that’s all?” 

Her glance was withering, but Luke was just glad she was looking at him. If only to give him another look at her eyes. 

“Karrde gets taken in by anyone with a sob story,” she said. “If I had my way, you’d still be floating in space.” 

“I don’t get that sense about him at all.” 

She snorted. “Vaunted Jedi insight. Wow, I’m amazed.” 

“Not at all. Even someone Force-blind could see your father doesn’t suffer fools,” Luke said, trying to be conciliatory. “And I promise, nothing bad will--” 

“Jedi promises aren’t worth bantha spit,” Mara said sharply. “So just shut up or else you’re gonna see what happens when I lose my temper.” 

It was on the tip of his tongue to argue that Captain Karrde would be unhappy about if she hurt him, but something made Luke hold back. Mara seemed to be struggling with her emotions. There wasn’t just anger sending sparks through her Force sense. No, there were other feelings at play. Feelings she didn’t want to reveal, feelings she didn’t want to have. 

Every being had a right to privacy. And while it was tempting to try and get Mara to open up, Luke knew better. All Jedi had to learn the painful lesson of hurting someone when trying to force an issue.

And more than that, he sensed that Mara actually would carry through on her threat if he kept pushing. 

So Luke stayed quiet as they walked to the hanger and he retrieved his case from the X-Wing’s cargo compartment.

XXX

Kriffing _Jedi_!

The words kept going round and round in Mara’s mind as she babysat Skywalker to the hanger and then to his quarters. How _dare_ he act like he knew her, like he _understood_ what she was feeling!

Especially when she didn’t understand it.

She had plenty of reason to distrust all Jedi. The crash on Jakku, and what happened after that, was proof enough. But more than that . . . Skywalker just _bugged_ her. 

It didn’t help matters that he was so karking arrogant in his calmness. Normal people would be sweaty and nervous in a situation like this. And spoiled rich babies like Skywalker should have been throwing around his name and making all kinds of claims for how much trouble Karrde would be in if anything bad happened to a Skywalker. But no, Skywalker had just looked Karrde in the eye and didn’t even bring up his parents until it was time to talk about payment. “My parents will pay all the credits you want for their beloved son,” she heard him say in that whiny earnest voice of his. 

Also, he needed a haircut. He had kept brushing his hair out of his eyes in that meeting with Karrde, and he looked so dumb. 

But with all that, she really had to get herself under control. As annoying as Skywalker was, he was Karrde’s guest now, and he took that shavit seriously. And she could tell he had assigned her to herd Skywalker as a test. 

She lacked the social skills, the ability to get along with people she didn’t like. Skills she would need to take over Karrde’s organization. So she had to learn them, because being in charge--being independent, being _free_ \--was all she wanted. And if Karrde wanted to see how willing she was to learn, if she was willing to work on this, too, like she had worked on weapons control and navigation and everything else? So be it. 

“This way,” Mara said gruffly as they approached an intersection, gesturing towards the right-hand corridor. 

“Thank you,” Skywalker said, carrying his case under his arm. “Captain Karrde said there was a comm unit in the room--is there also someplace Artoo can charge up?” He nodded towards his astromech droid. 

“Yeah,” Mara replied. “But if he tries to pass the time by slicing, he’ll regret it.” 

The astromech let out an insulted-sounding beep and Mara smirked. “All astromechs are nosy little trash cans on wheels. But if you wanna get your circuits scrambled and be good only for serving drinks, be my guest.” She frowned as she wondered when she had seen an astromech serving drinks, but shook her head to push the vision away.

“Artoo won’t do anything, I promise,” Skywalker said, giving his droid a look.

“Whatever,” Mara said, hitting the panel to open the door to the guest quarters. 

Skywalker walked inside and looked around and Mara followed the path of his eyes. A narrow bunk was built into the wall opposite the door. A combined desk/comm unit/charging station was on the same wall as the door. A door to the left opened into the fresher, with a small wardrobe positioned next to it. The room itself was a four meter by four meter box with no windows. 

“Cozy,” Skywalker said before he turned to face her. 

“Sorry, we converted the Chancellor’s suite into a cargo hold,” Mara said. “Fresher’s through that door,” she went on, pointing at the door. “Someone will bring you some food in a while.” 

“There’s no rush,” he said, before his stomach chose to rumble loudly. His cheeks flushed and Mara almost grinned. So even a Jedi with all the money and connections in the world got embarrassed. 

Before she could say anything, Skywalker went over towards the desk. “I should put in that comm call,” he said quickly. He pressed a button and Faughn’s voice came through, asking what he wanted. 

“This is Luke Skywalker. I’d like to place a call to Ahsoka Tano on Ord Mantell. She can get messages at the communications station at Great Rock,” Skywalker said. 

“Give us a minute to set up a subspace call. I’ll comm you when we’re ready,” Faughn said. 

Skywalker straightened up and looked at her. “Please tell Captain Karrde thank you,” he said to her with a nod. 

Mara shrugged. “All right. You need anything else, you know what to do,” she said, gesturing towards the comm. She turned to leave, debating whether Karrde would want her to lock Skywalker in his room, when the comm beeped. Faughn’s voice sounded harried.

“Sorry, Skywalker, the Holonet relay at Ord Mantell is down. Can’t send any calls there until it gets fixed.” 

Huh. That wasn’t out of the ordinary, for the Holonet to go down, but there was a nudge in her mind. A nudge that meant something was going on. 

Skywalker’s head jerked up, his blue eyes meeting hers. She didn’t know if he had picked up on the nudge, or if he had felt something, too, or if it was something else entirely. 

Without looking away from her, Skywalker asked, “What about sending a message to Coruscant?” 

“Sorry. When Ord Mantell goes down, getting a message Core-ward is impossible in this part of the galaxy.” 

“All right. Thank you, and please let me know when I can place a call,” Skywalker said, ending the comm. He took a step towards her. “You felt that, too, didn’t you?” 

“Lay off, Skywalker,” she said, lifting her chin and preparing herself to slide her blaster into her hand. He only had a blaster at his side--another indication that Karrde thought of Skywalker as a guest and not a captive--but Mara would put all the credits in the galaxy on being a faster draw than some Jedi. 

He frowned. “Mara, you’re clearly Force-sensitive. It’s obvious to anyone--” 

“No,” she snapped, stepping back and into the corridor. “And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t say a word.” She punched the panel, closing the door, and locked it for good measure. 

Karrde would be as angry as a hungry rancor when he found out, but right now, Mara didn’t care. That was a problem to be dealt with later. 

And hopefully, it wouldn’t matter once they dropped Skywalker off at Yaga Minor. 

End, Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

By all rights, he should be concerned about the report he had just received, about Black Sun’s most recent example of flexing its muscles off Ord Mantell. A standoff between the galaxy’s largest criminal organization and the peace-and-order Jedi had been coming for months, and Karrde had been making careful preparations for just such an event. 

It was incredibly unlikely the Jedi would ever be able to stamp out the galaxy’s criminal element, as represented by the Black Sun Syndicate. Especially not considering the abilities of Black Sun. Their intelligence-gathering operation was vast, allowing them to outrun takeovers and takedowns. He had learned much about how to traffic in information by watching Black Sun and using some of their methods.

The ones he could stomach, that is. He drew a line in the sand and refused to go past it, no matter the profits he lost out on. It was the only way to live with oneself, really. 

Talon Karrde sipped slowly from his glass of Savareen brandy, musing over recent events. Considering Mara’s progress and their unexpected guest. 

There was still some prickliness in her, but Mara learned quickly. Her distaste for the young Jedi was obvious, so of course he had assigned her to escort Skywalker around the ship. It had been almost visible, how she resolved to face her duties and perform those duties efficiently and effectively. 

Not even if she was his actual daughter could Mara be more of a credit to him. 

Although in Karrde’s mind, she was his daughter. Had been since the day she had snuck onto the _Starry Ice_ , skinny and skittish. Because he had looked into her eyes and seen . . . something.

Mara would never accept him as a father figure. Not with her history, of which he only knew the barest details. He hoped that one day, she would be willing to tell him the whole story, but the outline was enough for him. 

It was enough for him to understand why she had reacted as she had to their Jedi. 

Karrde lifted his glass to take another sip, only for his comm to sound. The practice of many years allowed him to hold back his sigh. 

“This is Karrde,” he said into the comm, setting aside his glass. 

“Yeah, boss . . .” Faughn’s voice was hesitant, with none of her crisp professionalism. “Um, you’ve got a comm. From Coruscant.” 

That made him reach out for his glass. “I thought the comm relay at Ord Mantell was down,” he said, rolling the remaining brandy around. 

“I know--that’s the thing. It still is.” 

He looked down into his glass, then casually threw back the last of his drink. The alcohol burned his throat, but he sounded perfectly calm and collected when he said, “Put the comm through, Faughn.” 

Smoothing down his clothes, Karrde faced the camera. “This is Talon Karrde. How may I be of assistance?” 

Just on their appearance, Falleens were intimidating. Their race was a popular source of bodyguards and protectors for smugglers and other less-law-abiding citizens. Normally, Karrde wasn’t bothered by such efforts. But in this case, he had to admit the Falleen in front of him, with his icy-cold demeanor, was achieving his objective. 

"Yes, Talon Karrde, assistance is what Black Sun requires from you,” the Falleen said in a deep voice. “We believe you have a passenger we are looking for.”

XXX

The moment Ahsoka spotted Anakin striding down the ramp of his shuttle, his steps as fast as his cane permitted, she felt a little better. Whenever they were together, she could feel her back straighten, thanks to the energy and determination infusing the presence of her former master. 

“Ahsoka, any word?” Anakin asked without delay. 

“No, Master,” she said, bracing herself for Anakin’s worry and anger. 

His face contorted with sadness. “I don’t like this, Snips. When I was on my way here, I thought I felt Luke reaching out . . . trying to say goodbye . . .”

“I felt it, too, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said, resting a hand on his arm. “But I still feel Luke’s presence in the Force. Now that you’re here, you can stop brooding and help me. We’ve all been searching, but if anyone is going to find Luke, it’s you.” 

Anakin raised his scarred eyebrow. “Brooding? Thanks, Snips. Nice way to describe a day in a tiny shuttle, worrying my head off.” 

As she hoped, the jibe helped lift some of the darkness around Anakin. She smiled a little and shrugged her shoulders. “I call ‘em how I see ‘em. Let me take you to the command center--several of the Jedi from our mission are there, including Master Plo Koon.” 

He leaned on his cane as they walked. “Do we have any ideas about who’s behind Luke’s disappearance? Black Sun operates in this area, for one.” 

“Black Sun operates all over the galaxy. The Jedi takes out one of their bases, another one pops up on a different Outer Rim territory,” Ahsoka said. 

“So what are they doing so far Coreward?” Anakin asked. 

“That’s what we’ve been speculating about,” she replied. “This all started when Luke came across two YT-2400 freighters, with accompanying starfighters, during his sector patrol. They fired on him, but his comms were jammed before I got any more info.” 

His eyes narrowed. “That could be Black Sun. Or it could be another smuggling group.”

“With that setup, Black Sun seems likely. But why would they fire on Luke?”

“It doesn’t make sense,” he agreed. Ahsoka felt him reach out to the Force, searching for guidance and insight. But the Force stayed silent, just as it had whenever Ahsoka had sought answers about Luke. 

She rested a hand on his arm again. “I don’t sense Luke is in danger. He’s just . . . lost.” 

With a gentle pat, Anakin silently thanked her for her comfort. “That’s what has me worried. I can’t deny that Luke is sheltered . . . his heart is so soft, his spirit so bright. I wasn’t ready to see his light dimmed by the ugliness of life. Padme has always said he could handle it. I should have listened to her.” 

“But now, he’s out in the galaxy, being exposed to who knows what. Surrounded by people he won’t understand, people he can’t rely on,” Anakin continued, his shoulders slumping as he leaned even more on his cane. “And I can’t help feeling like I haven’t prepared him for that.” 

“Luke does have a good heart,” Ahsoka said, unable to help the smile that came to her face. “And he’s stronger than he realizes. He’ll be all right until we find him.” She paused and gently nudged Anakin. “Besides, he’s a Skywalker. He’ll probably come up with some harebrained plan that ends with him arriving on a transport full of slaves he’s liberated.” 

He let out a quiet snicker. “I don’t know, that also sounds like a Tano plan.” 

“My plans have more explosions,” Ahsoka argued with a grin. 

“I guess we’ll see whether Luke takes after me, you, or someone else entirely,” Anakin said, returning her grin. 

Ahsoka felt her spirit grow centered as she sensed Anakin’s focus sharpening. The jokes pulled him out of his head and got him thinking, which was just what they needed right now. 

It was just a matter of time before they found Luke. And Ahsoka was more than ready to team up with her old master to find her Padawan. 

XXX

Mara focused on her console, trying to do her job without attracting any attention. Her little vision-inspired navigation change had rubbed out a lot of the goodwill she had built over the last two years. Now she was reassigned to communications, which everyone knew was boring and reserved for those too untrusted or untried for a position with more responsibility. 

At least today, though, there was plenty happening to keep her occupied. She had tried a few tricks to get them a Holonet connection, to no avail. But that was before they had received a call from Coruscant, routed through Ord Mantell. A call that shouldn't be possible with the relay down.

That got her attention--along with everyone else on the bridge. Especially when the call was for Karrde. 

“It’s Black Sun, I know it,” Faughn muttered after putting the call through. “I don’t like this.”

Dankin nodded. “We all know it’s just been a matter of time. You’re either with Black Sun or against them--and if you’re against them, you don’t last long.” 

“Karrde’s managed to stay neutral this long,” Mara said quietly. “What makes you think he can’t keep doing it?” 

In unison, Faughn and Dankin snorted. “You don’t know Black Sun,” Dankin said.

Mara glared at him. “I know plenty.” 

She turned back to the comm station, ignoring Dankin and Faughn as they fatalistically discussed the organization’s chances against Black Sun. The longer they went on, the more annoyed Mara became. Not just with Faughn and Dankin for being realists, but with herself. 

When had she started to believe Karrde could do what he said he would? When did she start thinking he had good intentions and wouldn’t go back on his word? Exactly when had she begun to _trust_ him? 

Trusting someone was a really good way to end up dead. Mara hadn’t trusted anyone since . . . 

No. No, she didn’t want to remember this. But she just couldn’t help seeing his face: the close-cropped white hair, the dark eyes, the cuts oozing blood on his cheek and neck. The way he had looked up at her, so worried and concerned for her, reaching an armor-clad hand out to her--

No!

Mara roughly grabbed the memory and shoved it deep into her mind, past the barriers that held back her earliest memories and all the messy feelings she wouldn’t allow herself to have. Taking a deep breath, she focused back on the comm station, trying again to see if she could get a message out. 

Perhaps sending it to Yaga Minor and routing the message along the Outer Rim, until it reached a relay station that could go to Coruscant? It’d lose some data in the transfer--or might have to be text-only--but it could work. Yaga Minor to Ithor to Obroa-Skai would probably work . . . 

Wait. Sending a message to Coruscant? Why was she thinking about that, when they needed to get word to Yaga Minor, to Myrkr, to a dozen other places in the galaxy?

Why the kriff was she thinking about helping _Skywalker_? It wasn’t like she cared about following through on Karrde’s promise to let him talk to his Master or his parents.

She didn’t care. Not at all. 

Punching the comm buttons harder than necessary, Mara began configuring the comm relays to pull messages from the Holonet through distant relays instead of the one at Ord Mantell. 

The doors to the bridge opened with a soft swish and Mara immediately turned, sensing Karrde’s presence. Faughn and Dankin stopped their conversation almost immediately, but from the way Karrde’s eyebrow twitched, it was clear he had heard enough. 

“As you have guessed, our last message was from the Black Sun Syndicate. Given what they’re asking for, we will be dumping our cargo and heading straight to Myrkr,” Karrde said, his voice calm and even as always. 

“Client’s gonna be testy about that,” Aves contributed from the helm. 

“It can’t be helped. Once we have communications, I will offer our apologies,” Karrde said. 

“I can route the message through alt relays,” Mara contributed. 

Karrde nodded. “Thank you, Mara. Dankin, go to the hold and get the cargo off. Faughn, set course for Myrkr and go to hyperspace as soon as the hold is empty.” 

There was muted acknowledgements as everyone went about their duties, but Mara got up from the comm station and followed Karrde off the bridge. Even though she shouldn’t leave her station, she . . . she was supposed to go after him. 

He glanced over at her. “Curiosity killed the Lothcat, you know.” 

“Why are we going back to Myrkr? We’re gonna need all the help we can get if Black Sun is after us, and not making a delivery is a black mark,” Mara said. 

“Black Sun is not concerned with us,” Karrde said. “At least, not yet.” 

Mara grimaced, wishing that Karrde would occasionally try talking straight instead of in riddles. “So what are they concerned with?” 

“That is something we need to discuss with our guest,” Karrde said, taking the aft corridor. 

The flickering sense of what she was supposed to do got stronger, much to her annoyance. She followed Karrde towards Skywalker’s quarters, bracing herself to deal with their “guest”. 

XXX

Luke sat cross-legged on the floor, his hands resting on his knees. With his eyes closed, he was able to sink deeper into the Force, stretching out for peace and calm. 

There was no way he could manage such balance without the help of the Force. Not after the last three days. 

Admittedly, things had started looking up when he was found by the Wild Karrde. He didn’t like to think about what might have happened otherwise. Even with a hibernation trance, a lack of food and water would have killed him. At least now, he had ready access to food, life support, and Artoo for company.

Not to mention Mara’s Force presence. 

She was just . . . there was something . . . he felt so . . . 

Sighing, Luke opened his eyes and breathed out slowly. Meditation would have to wait until he had settled himself again. Just the thought of her was enough to upend his calm. 

What had happened to her? With her strength in the Force, she should have been identified by the Jedi by the time she was five or six. Identified and taken to the Temple on Coruscant for training. 

He could have met Mara when they were both younglings. He could have known her for years. 

Not that he should be focusing on that. If he was going to think about Mara, he should be trying to figure out her story. Learn why she had never been identified, learn why she was so angry at Jedi . . . so angry at _him_. 

Artoo let out a rising series of beeps. His sensors were picking up someone coming. 

Without delay, Luke scrambled to his feet and smoothed down his dark trousers and tan shirt. He brushed his hair back, wishing now he had listened to his mother, his sister, and his Master to get a haircut before departing for Ord Mantell. 

A soft chime sounded, prompting Luke to call out, “Come in.” 

The door slid open, revealing Captain Karrde . . . and Mara. 

“Ah, Jedi Skywalker. All settled in, I hope?” Captain Karrde asked as he stepped into the room. 

“Yes, thank you,” he said, gesturing to the plastiform chair at the comm unit. “I appreciate your hospitality.” 

Captain Karrde chuckled softly as he sat down, crossing his legs. “I’ve never reconsidered how I treat my guests--not even now.” 

Luke frowned in confusion, looking at Mara, who folded her arms over her chest. The look she gave him was scathing. 

“Um . . . would you like to sit?” Luke asked her, looking around the guest quarters. But other than his bunk, there was nowhere.

And the thought of Mara sitting on his bed made his body react. 

Swallowing, he did his best to smile. “Sorry.” 

“That’s very considerate of you, Jedi Skywalker, but I’m sure Mara would be more comfortable standing,” Captain Karrde said, sounding incredibly amused. 

He could feel his cheeks heat as he sat down on the bunk. Forming the third point of a triangle, Mara leaned against the wall by the door. When she sensed he was looking at her, she met his eyes with a look of barely-concealed disdain. 

With a deep breath, Luke turned towards Captain Karrde. “So . . . it seems like something has happened to make you think about how you treat your guests?” 

“Fortunately, I do not change my mind easily,” Captain Karrde said. “The ships you encountered off Ord Mantell were on a job for the Black Sun Syndicate. Your actions meant the ships had to leave the system without making their delivery, which makes the recipient quite angry.” 

“And the recipient was . . .?” Luke asked, hoping he was right that Captain Karrde wanted him to ask. 

“The Governor of Ord Mantell,” Captain Karrde said. 

“But--but why?” Luke asked. 

Mara snorted. “Seriously?” 

“No--I know _why_ ,” Luke said, feeling a spike of irritation. “I just mean, why would he want a delivery from Black Sun when his planet was full of Jedi?” 

“You mean, continue his normal corrupt activities while under the nose of all those Jedi?” Captain Karrde asked. 

“Especially when he had invited the Jedi there,” Luke said. “It doesn’t make any sense. Not with how the Jedi are moving against criminal elements like Black Sun.”

A huff drew Luke’s eyes to Mara. “Are you seriously this naïve? How could a spoiled brat from Coruscant be dumber than a farm boy from Tatooine?” 

“My father is from Tatooine,” Luke said, wondering if Mara knew more about him than he realized. If maybe it was connected to Mara’s story.

Captain Karrde cleared his throat and Luke blew out a breath. “What I mean is,” he said, shooting a look at Mara before looking back to Captain Karrde, “I think there has to be some kind of plan. Like the Governor of Ord Mantell invited the Jedi there, on orders from Black Sun, so Black Sun could attack us.” 

“Hmm,” Captain Karrde said, his eyebrows raising. “An interesting interpretation. And quite possible. Unfortunately, if that is the case, you have played right into Black Sun’s hands.” 

Played into their hands? What? 

Mara sighed loudly. “Black Sun wants you to turn Skywalker over?” 

Captain Karrde nodded as Luke stared at Mara. But he wasn’t really seeing her. No, his mind was reeling from the revelation of just how right Mara was. Because he was as naïve as a farm boy off Tatooine. 

When he saw those ships, he should have just left them alone. Gone back and reported it, like a smart person would have done. Like a real Jedi would have done. But no, he had to go blundering in, thinking he could help, thinking that he knew better . . . 

And now, he was relying on a smuggler to keep his word. And even though everything in him said he could trust Captain Karrde--what if he was wrong? What if he had lousy instincts? What if he was misunderstanding the Force, allowing his arrogance to blind him to its true direction?

Luke took a deep breath. “But since I’m your guest, you told Black Sun no?”

“Correct,” Captain Karrde said. “I’ve kept my organization neutral, so if Black Sun wishes to move against me, I’d rather we were at our home base. So we’ll be heading there shortly.” 

“Do--does Black Sun have Force users on their payroll?” Luke asked. “Not--not to sound arrogant--what I’m trying to say is, my Force presence is rather distinctive--” 

A flicker of something went across Captain Karrde’s face. “Is it? I admit, I have little first-hand knowledge of Jedi. Smugglers, as a rule, avoid them.” 

“All Force-sensitives create a feeling in the Force,” Luke said, glancing over at Mara to see how she reacted. To see if this was new information to her. “If you don’t know someone, it’s generally limited to an understanding of how much power they have, maybe something like a color or fragrance to their presence. For the people I know, they each have a presence that lets me recognize them, before I see them, before I even know they’re near me.” 

Captain Karrde leaned back in his chair. “Interesting. To answer your question, while I don’t know any exact details, employing Force users would help to explain their success over the decades.” 

“However,” he said, lifting a hand to halt Luke from speaking, “that won’t be a problem in this case.” 

He barely heard Captain Karrde’s words, because he was too distracted by the change in Mara. On the outside, she was still leaning against the wall, still had her arms folded over her chest. But on the inside? Her presence was roiling with emotions. They shifted too quickly for him to understand them. Luke only got a vague, fuzzy read on her. Enough to know that anger wasn’t the only emotion she felt. 

No, right now . . . she was worried to the point of fear. And when she looked at Captain Karrde, the feeling ratched up. 

Not that it was any big mystery why she was scared. She was concerned about her adoptive father, plus all the people on the ship--they were probably like her family--

Luke gave his head a small shake. There he was, assuming again. He didn’t know anything about Mara, about Captain Karrde. They weren’t like the people he was used to dealing with. So it was probably better to not read anything into any situation. 

Even if the way Captain Karrde looked at Mara reminded Luke of how his father looked at Leia . . . 

“Once we reach our home base, we’ll be able to hide you while we get a message to your family, Jedi Skywalker,” Captain Karrde said.

“But--but what about you?” Luke asked. “Black Sun won’t be happy about this. They’ll be gunning for you.” 

Captain Karrde smiled thinly. “They can try.” 

It wasn’t the bravado of an overly-confident man infecting his words. No, Luke felt a sense of complete certainty and rock-hard resolve. Captain Karrde fully believed that Black Sun did not pose a true danger to himself or his organization. 

_Do or do not. There is no try . . ._ Luke pushed Master Yoda’s favorite aphorism out of his mind as he tried to focus. Because everything in him was saying that he couldn’t let Captain Karrde risk himself like this. Not for Luke. 

If he was the reason Mara lost her adopted father, he would never know her story. 

Luke frowned at his thoughts, at thinking about Mara at a time like this, but . . . he just couldn’t seem to help it. The Force seemed to be prodding at him, telling him that Mara was important. The reason for that feeling remained unclear, but Luke believed in trusting in the Force. 

Even when he didn’t know who to trust. 

There had to be a way to protect Mara, Captain Karrde, and the rest of his people. And Luke was going to find it. 

End, Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like discovering a Dianoga in the garbage dump you've just escaped to, Luke is about to find out that things have gotten worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been enjoying this fic, you might like the snippets of backstory that I've posted to [my Tumblr](https://dettiot.tumblr.com/). There's a [Mara one](https://dettiot.tumblr.com/post/190949403702/a-little-bit-of-backstory-for-my-fic-you-were) and a [Luke one](https://dettiot.tumblr.com/post/610948069132992512/luke-skywalker-is-six-years-old-he-has-blonde) so far. Thanks for reading!

When he was nine years old, Anakin Skywalker had first learned about the Force. Learned the reason for the flickers of insight he had, finally had an explanation for the lucky breaks that no slave on a backwater dustball like Tatooine should get. 

Ever since, he had relied on the Force for guidance, for power, for direction. He had fought a war, helped defeat the greatest evil the galaxy had ever known, and fathered two children with the love of his life. 

But at this moment, when he needed the Force more than he ever had before, it remained maddingly, horrifyingly silent. 

Opening his eyes, Anakin unfolded his legs and stretched them out, rubbing his knees. If he had known when he selected his meditation position that sitting cross-legged would one day be painful, perhaps he would have chosen another position. Too late now, though. 

It was just one more frustration in this whole perplexing struggle. What was Black Sun doing? What had Luke found out? And where was his son now?

He wanted his first priority to be finding Luke. Wanted to figure out a hyperspace vector and then blast off in his shuttle, searching for his lost boy. The closer he got to Luke, the stronger his Force presence would be. Right now, it was like the flame of a torch far off in the distance. But as he drew closer, Luke’s presence would become as bright as the suns on Tatooine. 

Anakin frowned at how his thoughts kept returning to the planet he grew up on. Tatooine . . . could Luke be there? It wouldn’t be the first time the Force had subtly prodded him when a direct appeal had failed to provide any answers. But why would Luke go all the way to Tatooine? It was practically on the other side of the galaxy. At that point, it made more sense for him to just go home to Coruscant. 

As much as he wanted to go find Luke, his son had lived up to their family’s reputation and caused trouble on Ord Mantell on his way out of the system. That was why Anakin wasn’t able to get in his shuttle and leave: they needed his help here. Or at least, they would rather he would be the famous general and “hero”. Have him make the decisions and deal with the planetary governor, the security forces, and Black Sun. 

Sometimes, having a reputation was more trouble than it was worth. 

Giving his head a shake, Anakin rose to his feet and brought his cane to his hand. Soon, they should have more information about Luke’s last known coordinates. With that, they could begin tracking him down. 

Almost unconsciously, he reached out towards Luke’s presence, just checking on him like he had a million times in Luke’s short life. And . . . he wasn’t there. 

His son was gone. 

A wave of anger and despair swept over Anakin--the fear, the grief, the desperation he had spent his whole life learning to manage. Never conquered--just managed. 

“Snips!” he shouted, bursting out of his room. “Luke--he’s gone--” 

“What?” she blinked before her expression turned inwards. He watched her draw in a breath as she confirmed what he felt. 

“He’s gone--I don’t--how--Padme--” Anakin stuttered, feeling himself fall apart. 

Ahsoka took his shoulders in her hands and gave him a good shake. “Anakin!” she said loudly, for once not calling him Master. “You need to calm down. Luke needs you.” 

“But--but he’s--” 

She shook him again, making his teeth click together. “He’s not really gone! He could be in a healing trance, or unconscious, or half a dozen other reasons. Use your brain, Master!” 

Yanking free from her, Anakin panted as he tried to follow Ahsoka’s instructions. She was right--he needed to calm down, he needed to think. He focused on his breathing, trying to bring his heart rate down. He pushed his fear and anger into the Force, taking in serenity. Even though he didn’t feel entirely successful, at least the clawing, desperate emotion eased some. 

“Snips--I’m sorry--” 

“I know,” Ahsoka interrupted. “Master Plo Koon and the others can deal with the Governor. You and I will go find Luke.” 

The rock-solid confidence and support from Ahsoka was more than he deserved, and Anakin had to swallow to keep hold of his calm. He nodded, shakily running a hand through his hair and leaning heavily on his cane. 

Ahsoka gave him a soft smile and patted his shoulder. “If you’ve spoiled Luke, he’s also spoiled you. When you were his age, you were giving Master Obi-Wan a heart attack every other week.” 

“Yeah, well, do as I say, not as I did,” Anakin said, not caring how weak of a response it was. 

His former Padawan’s smile just grew bigger. “C’mon. Let me send a comm to Master Plo and we can get to your ship.” 

XXX

_Walking across a desert, the hot sand burning her feet -- walking through a forest, her heart beating wildly and and her hand sweaty against her blaster -- the hum of a lightsaber -- the cackle-growl of a vornskr -- fear pressing down against her -- knowing what the bad man wanted from her -- “Rise, my Hand” -- “May the Force be with you, Mara.”_

“NO!” 

Mara jerked awake, falling out of her bunk and landing on the floor. The sudden bump didn’t help push away the nightmare and Mara pulled her knees in against her chest as she pressed her hands against the sides of her head. 

Her chest heaved as she tried to slow her breathing, tried to calm down. Just a dream--it was just a dream--it was not a weird collection of memories and something else, combined by the Force to torture her. She had been dreaming, that was all. 

The soft sound of the door chime made her slam back against her bunk and she winced. At least that helped clear away the last of the cobwebs. But the last thing she wanted right now was company. 

“It’s the middle of the night,” she called out. “Go away.” 

Because it _was_ the middle of the night. Anyone who was awake would be on the bridge, all the way on the other side of the ship. And she wasn’t up for dealing with who was on the other side of the door. 

“Mara?” Skywalker asked, his voice sounding so stupidly earnest. “Are you all right?” 

He was probably one of those stupidly determined types, too. The kind that wouldn’t go away until she had proved she was fine, totally fine. 

Pushing herself to her feet, Mara walked over to the door and punched the panel to open it. She squinted a little in the low-but-still-too-bright light from the corridor. 

Skywalker’s hair was extra-mussed. He wore the same pants as the last time she had seen him, but just a sleeveless undershirt on top. To her surprise, she noticed his arms were actually not bad. They looked muscled and firm. 

While his appearance screamed a just-awoken state, his eyes weren’t hazed over with sleep. No, they were bright and sharp and piercing. 

And they just made Mara feel tired. Not sleepy, just . . . tired. 

“What are you doing here, Skywalker?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest. 

“I could feel your distress,” he said softly. “I wanted to check on you.” 

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine. So just go back to your quarters and go back to sleep.” 

He frowned, tilting his head to the side. “May I come in?” 

“What part of ‘I’m fine’ don’t you understand?” she grumbled. 

“Well, if you want to have a discussion about your Force abilities in the corridor--” Skywalker began, only for Mara to reach out and yank him into her room, closing the door behind them. 

A smile that was just barely cocky flashed across his face, but he wiped it away when she glared at him. 

“Sit down,” she said, pointing at the chair by her comm unit. She stayed on her feet, crossing her arms again, as he sat and looked up at her. “I don’t have Force abilities.” 

As much as she wanted to believe her words, she knew it was hopeless. Skywalker certainly didn’t believe her, either, with the way he sighed. “Mara, it’s obvious to any Force sensitive that you have power,” he said, leaning forward a little. “Your presence . . . it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.” 

“Easy there,” she said, wishing she wasn’t in the loose shirt and soft pants she wore to sleep in. She would feel a lot better having this conversation with her vibroblade and blaster hidden but accessible. 

Skywalker held up his hands and sat back. “I’m not trying to pry--I want to help.” 

She snorted. “Sure you do.” 

“I do,” he insisted. “You haven’t had any training. That’s dangerous--to you, and to anyone who can sense your abilities and wants to take advantage of them.” 

“If you think that’s Karrde, you’re wrong. He has no idea,” Mara said firmly. 

“So you admit you’ve got Force abilities,” Skywalker said, his eyes lighting up. 

Damn her loyalty--and damn Skywalker, for managing to trick her into revealing . . . well, that he was right. 

Mara sat down cross-legged on the floor, huffing some loose hair out of her face. “All right, fine. I feel the Force or . . . whatever.” 

Skywalker nodded and slid off his chair, mirroring her position. “I could feel you before I came on board. And when I first saw you . . .” His cheeks flushed. “Sorry, again. About the staring.” 

“Forget it,” she said, hoping he would. Because it bugged her that he kept apologizing for something as small as staring at her. “But why does it matter to you if I have Force abilities?” 

“Because you could be a great Jedi, Mara,” Skywalker said. “If you came to Coruscant--”

“No.” 

Her sharp words cut him off and made him press his lips together for a moment. She glared at him, almost daring him to keep talking. Hoping that her show of anger would keep him from speaking. But even with a lack of training, she could--she could feel him--

“Mara--” 

“I said no!” she said, holding up her hand. To her shock, Luke rocked back, throwing back one of his hands to keep himself from toppling over onto his back. 

Mara scrambled to her feet, putting her back to him. “Get out,” she said through clenched teeth.

“No,” he said. In a part of her brain that was still working, she realized he was just as stubborn as she was. “Mara, this is something you need to face. Because one day, you might hurt someone--someone who doesn’t deserve it--if you aren’t taught how to keep your powers in check.” 

A cold wave crashed over her, at Skywalker so neatly expressing the fear that kept her running from her past, running from her abilities. 

And then, the cold feeling, Skywalker’s earnest determination, the muted emotions of the rest of the crew . . . they all vanished. 

It was like being anesthetized. The pain fell away and she could breathe again. 

She heard a gasp from behind her and looked over her shoulder. Skywalker was staring at her, his eyes wide and panicked. “What--what’s happening . . .?” he breathed out. 

He looked so scared that she ignored the jest that came to her mind. 

“We’ve entered orbit over our home base,” Mara explained. “On the only planet in the galaxy where the Force doesn’t work.” 

XXX

This--this--was this what it was like to forget how to breathe? 

Luke didn’t know. He didn’t know anything. How--how could there be a planet where the Force didn’t work? He felt like he had suddenly become blind.

Whatever was going on, he didn’t know how he was going to get through this. He--he couldn’t go down to that planet and spend time there. He knew it was irrational to feel like this, but he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t aware of the Force around him. His father had said even in the womb, he had reached out, touching Leia and his father and Uncle Obi-Wan and Master Ahsoka . . . 

But he had to keep it together. He was a Jedi, even if he couldn’t feel the Force. And . . . and he didn’t want Mara to think even less of him than she already did. 

Breathing deeply, he tried to center himself, using the same Jedi calming techniques he always used. He didn’t really feel very calm without the Force to help, but, well, it was the thought that counted, right? 

“Skywalker?” 

He startled at Mara’s voice, who sounded mostly annoyed but also like she was trying to hide a small amount of concern. 

At his blank look, she gestured to the door. “We’re going to be landing soon. I need to get dressed.” 

“Oh. Oh!” he said, stumbling over his own feet. “Of--of course. Sorry.” 

“Seriously, Skywalker, you’ve lost the Force, not all sense of balance,” Mara said. 

“Oh . . .” he said, trying to laugh a little. “Yeah, yeah. See you later,” he continued, feeling more awkward than he ever had in his life. He punched the panel and got out of Mara’s room as quickly as he could without tripping. 

What was _wrong_ with him? 

Pushing his hair back, Luke made his way to his quarters. When he entered, Artoo beeped at him a few times, sounding worried. His sensor dish popped up and he let out a trill. 

“Yeah--yeah, I know, the planet is odd,” he said, taking a deep breath. “But hopefully, we won’t be there long. I just have to send a message to Master Ahsoka and we’ll be off-planet within a day or so.” 

A whole day without the Force . . . 

Artoo replied with an even-more worried series of beeps. It took Luke a moment to translate the Binary, and then he sighed at his droid’s message. 

“What about the Black Sun Syndicate? You said you wanted to help Captain Karrde.” 

Guilt washed over him. How could he abandon his noble plans and ideals simply because he couldn’t access the Force? What kind of coward was he? 

“Artoo . . . I can’t feel the Force,” he said, crouching down in front of him. “I feel like I’ve lost my hands.”

The droid let out an electronic tut. “Droids manage without the Force. So can you.” 

He couldn’t help huffing out a small laugh. “I guess that’s true. I just--I don’t know how I can help without the Force.” 

The response he got didn’t need translation: it was full of confidence and encouragement. Luke felt himself smile a little and he ran a hand over Artoo’s dome. “Thanks, Artoo.” 

Straightening himself up, Luke went to the refresher to wash up, then pulled on his clothes. He added his yellow flight jacket and did his best to make his hair look presentable. He really should have gotten a haircut. 

With a gesture at Artoo to tell the droid to follow him, Luke left his quarters and headed in the general direction of the bridge. He didn’t know exactly where it was, and if he had the Force, he would have locked onto Captain Karrde’s presence to guide him. But he managed to get there without needing to ask for directions. 

As he expected, Captain Karrde was on the bridge, supervising his crew as they prepared to land the _Wild Karrde_. He looked at Luke and nodded. “Jedi Skywalker.” 

“Good morning,” he said, even though it felt far from good. “Nearly there, I see. Wherever we are.” 

Captain Karrde gave him an amused look. “You should just ask. You don’t do subtle very well.” 

Luke grimaced a little. “I . . . I’m unsettled. Did you know this planet does something to the Force, so it can’t be felt?” 

“Yes, I did,” Captain Karrde said. “It’s popular with smugglers for that very reason.”

Well, that made sense. Where better for criminals to be, than a planet where Jedi abilities were taken away? 

The _Wild Karrde_ lowered through the planet’s atmosphere. From what Luke could see, the planet was green and lush, covered in forests. It didn’t appear there were much civilization in terms of cities; given its popularity with smugglers, there were probably just a few scattered settlements. 

The captain gave a few quiet comments as the crew landed the ship, bringing it neatly through a gap in the trees down to a landing pad. The spirits of the crew seemed to lift with being home, based on their smiles and general relaxed manner. 

“Come along, Jedi Skywalker,” Captain Karrde said, gesturing towards him. “Your droid is welcome, too. Let’s see if we can arrange that call for you now.” 

Nodding, Luke turned away from the viewport and the crew, feeling a jolt of surprise when he saw Mara behind him. He hadn’t heard her come onto the bridge, and of course, he hadn’t felt her. His surprise must have shown, because she lifted an eyebrow at him. 

“Not so much fun, being like everyone else?” she said. Her tone was acidic and her eyes were veiled. Apparently, she had gotten over whatever sympathy she had felt for him when they first came under the effect of the planet. 

But Luke could tell when he was being baited, so he held his tongue and just followed Captain Karrde, Artoo close at his heels. 

Once they were off the ship, the planet’s environment settled over them. It was cool and a bit muggy, but overall not uncomfortable. He was glad he had taken his flight jacket. The home base for Captain Karrde’s crew was more extensive than he expected: there was a multistory building at the center, with several sheds and outbuildings dotting the perimeter. As they walked along, heading towards the multistory building, Luke tried to subtly look for any other ships. 

He trusted Captain Karrde, but having to rely on a stranger made him feel antsy. And since he couldn’t get out of here in his X-Wing . . . 

The trees screened any open areas, but he thought he could see two landing pads about forty meters away. And there were definitely some kind of ship parked there. He couldn’t tell what it was, but Luke knew he could figure out any ship that flew. 

“Right this way, Jedi Skywalker,” Captain Karrde said as they stepped inside the building, into a long corridor that ended in darkness. “Mara, please take him to the main room and I’ll join you there shortly.” 

“There has been a change of plans.” 

The unknown voice came from the end of the hallway, the lights flicking on as they sensed movement. A Falleen walked towards them, flanked by two Mandalorians holding blasters. The Falleen held no weapon and had an icy, intimidating manner, his blue eyes glittering with malevolence. 

Captain Karrde hesitated for a fraction of a moment before he pulled a blaster. Faster than that, Mara had a blaster in her hand--where had she gotten it from? Artoo beeped warningly, extending his arc welder. 

Luke felt like a sitting duck, especially when his hand went to his side and he realized he had left his blaster on the _Wild Karrde_. And without the Force . . . 

“We have many things to discuss, Talon Karrde,” the Falleen said. “Such as your insolence towards Black Sun when last we spoke.” 

“I meant no insolence, Prince Xizor,” Captain Karrde said, his voice neutral. 

Prince Xizor? Luke swallowed as he realized the head of the Black Sun Syndicate was standing in front of them. He felt fear wrap around him like a blanket and tried to ignore it. It was just the prince’s Falleen pheromones, he knew, but . . . 

“Perhaps you need to understand the definition of the word. If you would join me in your main room, we may begin our discussion. Lower your weapons,” Prince Xizor said. 

“Of course, Your Highness,” Captain Karrde said. “Mara, Luke, please go ahead.” 

Mara looked at Captain Karrde, her expression bleak, before she returned her blaster to a wrist holster. Captain Karrde looked at Luke, then at Artoo, so Luke waved at Artoo to put away his arc welder.

Even though his feet felt frozen to the floor, Luke followed Mara, keeping his eyes locked on her red braid and projecting an image of youth and inexperience. It didn’t hurt that he felt that way--young and green and completely useless. 

Through his own blunders, he had drawn the greatest criminal syndicate in the galaxy to his rescuers. And he had no weapons, no abilities, to help his rescuers. 

Luke gritted his teeth. Well, he might have created this mess, he might not have the Force--but he was still a Jedi. He still believed in peace and justice. And this wasn’t justice. 

So it was up to him to find a way to protect Captain Karrde and his people. And he would find a way. 

End, Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens . . . and we're on the verge of the scenes that made me want to write this fic in the first place!

Having a good sabacc face was something Talon Karrde had worked on. He never wanted to show emotion on his face when he didn’t wish to do so. And so far in his life, he had been successful in that goal. 

In this moment, he was grateful for all his practice. Because otherwise, he might have given away exactly what he was feeling.

The arrival of Prince Xizor was an unexpected, troubling outcome. But it also aroused his curiosity. Why would the head of the Black Sun syndicate be so determined to capture one lone Jedi who interfered with a single shipment to a middling planet like Ord Mantell? 

Or was it not a matter of why, but who? Luke Skywalker, only son of a Jedi Master and a Senator. Talon could remember hearing the stories about General Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. The Hero with No Fear, he was called. 

How would a man without fear react to the abduction of his son? 

The reason for Black Sun’s interest probably wouldn’t help Talon determine what to do, but he always liked having as much information as possible when making a decision. Not to the extent of being paralyzed by inaction, though. 

Talon followed the two youngsters in his care, noting how Skywalker kept his eyes fixed on Mara. The young man was intrigued by Talon’s adopted daughter--which all but confirmed his long-held suspicions about Mara’s abilities. But the question of what to do about those abilities could wait. 

The main room of their compound was Talon’s attempt to live graciously even on the outer fringe of the galaxy. The room was dominated by a large tree growing through the center of the room. As the focal point, around the tree were couches and chairs grouped together. At the far end of the room was the long table and chairs where occasional crew dinners were held. 

Talon turned to face the Prince and his men as they entered the room. “May I offer you refreshment?” 

“No,” Xizor said. “You brats, sit down here.” He gestured to a small couch in front of him. Neither Skywalker or Mara made any move to sit and Talon quickly interceded. 

“Go ahead, Luke, Mara. There’s nothing to fear from the Prince.” 

Sometimes even an obvious lie could be a comfort. Mara took a seat, pressing against the arm in order to avoid any contact with Skywalker once he sat down. 

Xizor fixed his eyes on the couch. “Boy. You are Luke Skywalker? Son of Anakin Skywalker?” 

There was a long moment of silence, then Skywalker spoke. “Why do you ask?” 

“You interfered in my business. We must have compensation,” the Prince said, his voice growing even colder. 

“I’m sorry for any delays I may have caused you,” Skywalker said. “I have no credits available to me, but I’m sure my family can make arrangements with you.” 

The prince scoffed. “Credits are not the kind of compensation we desire. If you wish to make amends, you will come with me.” 

With interest, Talon waited for Skywalker’s reaction. As a Jedi, he was likely to give himself up, even though he would know such an action was extremely dangerous. Perhaps the young man would rather take his chances with Black Sun, knowing that once he was off-planet, he would have the Force as his command. 

“Will you . . .” Skywalker paused. “If I go with you, I would like your guarantee that no harm will befall Captain Karrde and his organization.” 

“I make no guarantees to benefit traitors,” Xizor said, turning his head to look at Talon. 

“My neutrality is long-standing and well-defined,” Talon said, adopting a nonchalant tone. “I fail to see how that makes me a traitor to Black Sun.” 

Xizor nodded to one of his Mandalorians, who stepped away towards the door. Calling for reinforcements was the most likely option, but Talon stayed very still in his chair. 

“On the contrary, your refusal to become part of my syndicate makes you a traitor,” Xizor said. “Action must be taken against you.” 

He looked over at his Mandalorian, who nodded to his boss. 

“So we will take your daughter along with Skywalker,” the prince said. 

Before he had even realized how he felt, Talon rose to his feet. “No,” he said, putting every ounce of command and will he possessed into the single word. 

“If you do not allow us to take your daughter--as a sign of your good faith--then I will give the order to fire upon this base,” Xizor said. “And everyone, including you and your daughter, will die.” 

“Including you, Your Highness,” Skywalker said. 

“The Jedi are not the only one with tricks up their sleeves, boy,” Xizor drawled. “Well, Karrde?” 

“You have my answer,” Talon replied, moving to stand behind Mara and resting his hands on her shoulders. “You may not take my daughter.” 

Mara shook him off and quickly stood up. “Don’t be an idiot, Karrde,” she said, turning to face him. “I don’t like the idea of dying just because you’re getting soft.” 

Her words were harsh, but with her back to Xizor and his Mandalorians, Talon could see Mara’s face. And he could see she had some kind of plan. 

And while Talon knew how skilled Mara was, dealing with the head of Black Sun, two Mandalorians, and the rest of Xizor’s muscle was a bit beyond those skills. Even with Skywalker to help her--not that he was likely to be much help without the Force. 

But stars help him if he didn’t let Mara go. Because otherwise, she would certainly die, along with the rest of his people and himself. And if they somehow managed to thwart Xizor’s blows, the fragile trust he had spent two years building with her would be utterly destroyed. 

Someday, she would learn that she could rely on other people. It appeared today was not the day she would learn that lesson, though. Talon gave her a slow nod.

She whirled around to face Xizor. “No harm to Karrde or anyone else here, in exchange for me and Skywalker.” 

“Very well,” the prince said. “My men will escort you to their shuttle. I will stay behind to discuss more issues with Talon Karrde.” 

Skywalker rose to his feet and reached out to take Mara’s elbow. “Mara, you don’t have to--”

“Shut it, Skywalker,” Mara hissed, jerking out of his grasp. She looked at Talon for a moment, then lifted her chin and allowed the Mandalorians to disarm her and escort her and Skywalker away. 

“A remarkable young woman,” Xizor said. “I am looking forward to getting to know her.” 

Talon slowly turned to look at the prince. His mind was already starting to work, looking for opportunities. Like the fact the Mandalorians hadn’t allowed Skywalker’s astromech droid to go with them. Like reaching for the commlink he had in his pocket and switching it on, so his crew could hear what was going on. 

All of that meant he could not allow himself to show concern about Xizor’s interest in Mara.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Talon looked at the prince. “What else do you wish to discuss, Your Highness?” 

XXX

Luke took a deep breath as he followed Mara and one of the Mandalorians. The other one was behind him, Prince Xizor’s men naturally falling into a standard flanking escort. They had confiscated Mara’s blaster and a vibroblade hidden in her boot and sneered at him when they found he was unarmed. 

If it was him alone going with Prince Xizor’s men, he would probably be able to better handle this. But with Mara here, he couldn’t help feeling the need to protect her. Even if she would have scorned his efforts. 

_There is no emotion, there is peace_ , he told himself. Keeping his breaths slow and even, Luke drew comfort and strength from the Jedi Code. Mara was very capable. And she definitely seemed to have something in mind. So he just had to watch for an opening to let her put her plan into action. 

The Mandalorians marched them to a small Lambda-class shuttle. Once inside, they pushed Luke, then Mara, into seats and strapped them in before snapping binders around their wrists. Then both men took their own seats and began the preflight countdown. 

Glancing over at Mara, he could see her eyes moving around, observing their surroundings. Taking a chance while the Mandalorians were distracted, he leaned over as far as he could and whispered, “What can I do?” 

She shot him a cutting look. “Stay out of my way.” 

“I can help,” Luke insisted. 

Rolling her eyes, she nodded grudgingly. “Follow my lead.” 

He nodded and sat back, breathing slowly and keeping his eyes on her. 

Without the Force, it was harder to anticipate when Mara would make her move. He just had to watch her, looking for muscle twitches and eye movements. 

But when she moved, Luke wasn’t expecting what she did at all. 

As the engines fired up, Mara wiggled her foot out of one of her boots. She lifted her foot and then slid her toes inside one of the binder’s cuffs, rubbing the metal. After a moment, there was a soft click and the cuff popped open.

Mara did the same to the other cuff, then looked over at him and raised her eyebrows, as if asking him what he was waiting for. 

It wasn’t nearly as easy as Mara made it look. He nearly had a heart attack when his boot clumped heavily against the deck as he got it off, but fortunately, the Mandalorians didn’t notice. He managed to get his foot up and ducked his hands down to fit his toes inside the binder cuff. 

When the cuff didn’t open, he looked over at Mara, feeling panicked, and she made a gesture, silently telling him to stay calm. Luke looked back at the cuff, just in time to see it click open. 

Luke looked at Mara, smiling widely. She shook her head, then put her finger to her lips. He nodded, focusing on getting his boot back on, but Mara quickly waved her hand and got his attention. She pointed at his foot and shook her head. 

Okay, so he needed to keep his boot off. 

Doing what Mara did, he arranged his booted foot in front of his bootless one, and rested his hands in his lap. After a moment of waiting, Mara spoke, lifting her voice towards the Mandalorians. 

“Great armor.” 

Neither of the men responded or even turned their heads to look back at them. Mara leaned forward and spoke louder. “Which house are you allied to? Lemme guess: Vizsla?”

“Shut up, kid,” one of them muttered, but Mara wasn’t to be deterred. Luke watched as she made her eyes wide and her whole manner open and enthusiastic.

“C’mon, I’m just curious. I was on my way to Mandalore when I met Karrde. You’d think he was Mandalorian, with how he took me in.” 

Luke got the feeling that Mara was testing the men, but he wasn’t sure what she was testing them on. 

“I mean, you know about foundlings . . .” Mara said, letting her voice trail off as she undid the harness and rose to her feet. 

“Whatever,” a Mandalorian said. He started to turn in his seat, only to get Mara’s boot right between the eyes. 

As Luke got to his feet as quickly as he could, he saw Mara hit the Mandalorian again, then grab his blaster. Luke used his own boot on the second Mandalorian, just in time for Mara to stun both of them. 

It had only taken a few seconds, but they had managed to take down their captors. Luke felt the adrenaline wash over him and grinned at Mara. “Not bad.” 

“Thanks,” she said, breathing a bit hard. “Not that these guys are that tough. No way they’re Mandalorians.” 

She bent down, starting to drag one of the not-Mandalorians across the deck plates. Luke did the same, grunting out, “How could you tell?” 

“They--they didn’t know--the foundling law,” Mara said as she reached the back of the cockpit and straightened up. At Luke’s look of confusion, she explained, “Mandalorians will take in orphan children they encounter and bring them up as part of their clan.” 

“Oh,” Luke said, watching as Mara moved towards the shuttle’s controls. “So what are we gonna do now?” 

“Turn this bucket around and go back to the base, of course,” Mara said, settling into the pilot’s seat.

Luke frowned. “What about Prince Xizor? He’s probably still there. Won’t he think something’s wrong if the shuttle comes back?” 

“I can send a message--” Mara said, hitting a few buttons and then slapping her palm against the dash. “Shavit. The comms are locked down. The only message we can send is to their main ship.” 

She half-rose in her seat, peering through the viewport. “Where is it . . .” 

“Maybe we could set down in the forest somewhere,” Luke said, gesturing towards the planet’s green-covered surface. “Make our way back to the base on foot.” 

Mara’s lips thinned, but then she nodded. “Okay.” She tapped a few buttons and began navigating the shuttle back towards the planet’s surface.

XXX

What was she going to do with him? For a Jedi, he sure acted helpless. 

So what if he didn’t have the Force? He had to have _some_ instincts that didn’t rely on a mystical magical energy field. But Skywalker hadn’t given any evidence of that. 

Maybe she had dodged a blaster bolt in not being trained, even if his words about hurting someone with her Force abilities kept going through her head. Because Mara would stake her instincts and danger sense against a Jedi any day. 

“I have another question.” 

It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. “What?” 

“How did we get out of the binders?” 

Well. At least that was a question that made sense. “Those binders are kriffin’ garbage,” Mara said, glancing over at him before looking back at the controls. “Human sweat can cause them to malfunction.” 

“Learn something new every day,” Skywalker said casually.

Now she did roll her eyes. Did he have to be so annoyingly _chipper_ all the time?

The comm beeped and a hissing voice spoke in Basic. “Shuttle _Sun 2_ , your course has changed.” 

_Shavit_. She should have known--

Suddenly, Skywalker leaned over and pressed the comm. “Repulsor problem, give us a minute to lock it down,” he said, his voice an octave lower than normal. 

“What the kriff, Skywalker?!?” she yelped as she looked for the shields. 

“We had to tell them something!” he protested. “This way, we can get closer to the surface before--”

The shuttle jerked as the piece of shavit was hit with an ion cannon blast. The shields shuddered and she flipped a few switches, shifting what little power remained to the rear deflectors. 

“You were saying?” Mara shouted as she pushed the throttles forward, making for Myrkr’s surface. 

“I didn’t think it would be that fast!” Skywalker said. “And watch it, you’re gonna miss the entry corridor and bounce off the atmosphere.”

“I know what I’m doing! Unlike some useless Jedi!” 

Skywalker had the smarts to stay quiet at that, letting Mara concentrate on flying. She just managed to dodge the next blast. 

But she wasn’t so lucky with the third one. 

A high-pitched squeal announced the shuttle’s dying gasp. Mara pushed at the steering controls, then gave up. “We’re goin’ down!” 

Skywalker suddenly jumped up from his seat and Mara turned around to watch him. “What are you--” 

She stopped when she saw him yanking the Mandalorian helmets off Xizor’s goons. “Extra protection!” he said, tossing one of the helmets to her. 

Huh. So maybe he wasn’t so hopeless. But she didn’t have time to think about that. 

Mara yanked the helmet over her head and strapped herself in. “Hurry up!” she yelled back at Skywalker, her voice muffled. 

He skidded to his seat, the helmet jostling on his shoulders, and strapped in a moment before the shuttle got hit again. 

Clutching the armrests of her seat, Mara thought she could feel wind rushing past her fingers. Like the shuttle was open to the atmosphere. It was close and dark inside the helmet, and she wanted to push it off. 

But before she could lift her hand and do that, it was too late.

The shuttle crashed into the ground, carving a path through the forest. Mara held on, feeling her head bang back into her seat, but the helmet offered some protection. But then the viewport cracked and she felt the world go dark. 

End, Chapter 7


End file.
